When Darkness Falls
by caputdraconis14
Summary: Albus is smart, determined and a little odd. Scorpius is dark, mysterious or so he'd like to believe . For years, they have ignored each other, determined by old history to maintain a dividing line between Malfoy and Potter. But some things are simply inevitable. With their futures around the corner, their lives will change. SLASH! AP/SM.
1. Power is Kinda Neat

_**A/N: Welcome! This is my latest fic, an Albus/Scorpius fic. So if you didn't know it was Slash yet...here's your last warning. I will say there is a little angst to come, but a lot of happy. If that makes any sense. And I don't own any of this stuff. That all goes to JKR, the genius. I hope you enjoy!**_

**Chapter 1: Power is Kinda Neat**

_Lost: Motivation—if found, please return to Albus Potter, Gryffindor Common Room (Head Boy)._

_This is probably not right, _Albus thought to himself, slumped over the table in the Great Hall, yawning into his mashed potatoes and gravy. _No, this is not right at all. _He didn't even want to move, get up, guide first years. The thought of classes tomorrow made him mentally cringe. He probably would have cringed physically if he had a scrap of energy to do so.

"Wake up!" Rose snapped at him, literally snapping her fingers in his face. He gave her a look.

"It's useless," Lily said. "He's been like this all summer."  
"Oh I know," Rose said. "And it's completely unacceptable. This is seventh year, my friend. This is no time to snooze your life away. This year _matters."_

"According to you, Rose, every year matters," Hugo pointed out from across the table, his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"As you should rightly know, my fifth year brother," Rose said, puffing herself up indignantly. The Head Girl badge glimmered, perfect, on her chest. She frowned at Albus, letting out a whoosh of air from between her lips.

"You annoy me," Albus informed her, looking up at her lazily. He yawned again and she poked him abusively, standing up. She was her mother. There was no other way to see it.

"Come on, come on," she said, tugging at his arm. "We have to be helpful now, you know. First years are counting on us."

"You know, I think the best way for them to learn is to just let them figure things out for themselves," Albus grumbled, heaving himself up off the bench and following her to guide first years to their futures.

"Look like you're happy to be here, would you?" she growled at him, her talon fingernails digging into his arm as she yanked him into position. "It doesn't exactly say inviting if you frown like that at everyone who looks at you. Must I cast a Cheering Charm?"

"I don't need cheer. I need a nap," Albus said.

"You are a disappointment," she said. "We're a team Albus. Don't make me do this alone. You know how I hate doing things alone."

"Just a little bit less than you hate doing things with people," he said, shaking his head. "Fine. I'm looking alive, I'm looking alive."

"Smile," she said, finally loosening her vice grip on his arm.

"Right," he said, plastering a fake smile across his face.

"Oh dear Merlin," she said, slapping a hand against her forehead.

"Shut up," he said.

Here they were. This was it, right? Their final chance to be great here, to do something important. He laughed at the idea. In all truth, he liked that concept a lot. And his Head Boy badge had come in the summer. His parents were so proud of him. It was something a decently behaved, good role model like Albus deserved.

But he didn't know how much he wanted it. He said that to Rose and she laughed at him. She didn't understand it, for some reason. She didn't get how he could not just dance for joy a thousand times with that badge pinned to his chest. But he wasn't sure. Without that badge dangling in front of him, he had no more motivation. He didn't know what he wanted to do with himself anymore.

And maybe that was funny. More like frightening. He had to figure things like this out, after all. A career was sort of essential to his survival post-Hogwarts. But there was nothing that jumped out at him. He sort of thought that seventh year never would come, that he would never have to worry about this. But now it was here and he had no idea what he was going to do about it. Without a direct goal, Albus faltered. He needed something to strive for, or else he was hopelessly lost.

There was a sea of first years in front of him. It was a bobbing mass of eleven-year-olds decked out in black, pointed hats saluting the sky. Eager, tired faces looked to him and Rose for directions as they pointed out prefects and gave directions to the stragglers. They were so bright and jittery. Some looked terrified, others dead on their feet. And there were the ones who were clearly just like Rose had been their first year: completely incapable of shutting up.

A little smile creeped onto Albus' face. The driving force behind it was envy, of course. They were eleven-year-olds. Their biggest concern was navigating their way to Potions class in the morning. They had not a care in the world. Their goal was second year.

He laughed at the insanity of it. Six years ago, that had been him. He hadn't had to rely on prefects, what with an array of Weasley cousins and his older brother to drag him around places. He and James could get into so much trouble back then. It was funny to think about.

Now here he was. James was working now, ludicrous as that concept was. And Albus was finishing things up at Hogwarts. This year, when he, Rose and Lucy left, there would only be Fred, Lily and Hugo left at Hogwarts.

He and Rose weren't old enough to be seventh years. When he looked at her, she still looked like the Rose he had known for all his life, the Rose he had explored the Burrow with, bothered gnomes with. They used to make a game out of annoying the older cousins. How much the world could change and stay the same in their seventeen years.

-CD-

In the underworld of the school, swathed in an eerie green glow, a party was already starting. The first years had drifted off to bed, and one by one the younger kids followed. Fifth, sixth and seventh year stuck around, listening to the noise of the lake. Couples tangled up on couches and chess games commenced. They could keep quiet but turn it up at the same time. The Slytherin Common Room was a world of its own.

Someone broke out the alcohol, but few partook the day before classes were to start. It was like any other common room, of course, only Slytherin. It was a snake pit, a lair of darkness, sinister.

At least in the head of Scorpius Malfoy. In all reality, it wasn't very different from any other common room, and the people weren't very dark or very unusual. But it was nice to think of it that way sometimes, to change things up a bit.

He lounged in one of the high backed chairs in front of the fireplace, sprawled dramatically as if he owned the place. In a sense he did. Someone completely out of his or her right mind had made him a prefect in his fifth year. Power in the hands of someone who could do so much. Awfully risky.

Or so he liked to tell himself.

He balanced a bottle of firewhiskey on his stomach as he watched the flames lick upwards from the glowing logs. It was getting later, but he could stay up forever. Besides, the best people always stayed up later. He closed his eyes at the sounds of the Black Lake. He wouldn't change this common room or the life of the head Slytherin for anything. And he certainly considered himself the head of his house—as far as students were concerned. And many others regarded him in a similar sense.

"Hey, Scorpius," a soft voice said, causing him to peel one careless eye open. Standing in front of him was Bex Overton, a dark-haired beauty with a slim frame and perfect proportions. He looked up at her thoughtfully, still not opening his other eye.

"Yeah?" he said. She was in sixth year, and she was decently smart, though she had garnered herself a bit of a reputation. For letting boys be handsy, it seemed—but nothing more. Or so was the rumor, Scorpius figured.

"I just wanted to say, I hope you had a nice summer," she said, turning away from him to gaze at the fire. His eyes lingered on her arse and he chewed his cheek thoughtfully.

"It was pleasant," he said. "I hope yours was as well."

"It was," she said, putting a hand on her hip. She shook her head and turned back to him, a slight smile on her face. And then she waltzed away casually, swinging her hips as she went. Scorpius followed her with his eyes, snickering a little under his breath. _Always good to have options, _he thought to himself, chuckling a little.

No sooner had Bex left than she was replaced by another tall girl, a spindle by the name of Maggie Braxton, his best friend, his voice of reason, his biggest critique and his number one fan.

"Well aren't we attempting to look like Greek God?" she said, rolling her eyes as she plopped down on the hearth.

He closed his eyes, yawning carefully. "I need not attempt what I have already achieved."

She snorted. "You flatter yourself."

"You brought up the comparison," he pointed out.

"Why yes, I did. I said you were attempting. Unfortunately, you seem to have failed," she said. She kicked her legs out in front of her, long, tanned and slender.

"Oh shut it," Scorpius said. He would have rolled his eyes at her, had they been open. Instead he picked up his drink and sipped it casually, yawning again.

"So what victim have you picked out?" she wondered. "Overton?"  
He shrugged. "I don't need to pick out any victims, Mags. They tend to find their way to me."

"You are a…" she struggled to find a word. "Nope. I don't have anything to accurately describe what you are. Except for maybe disgusting. You are disgusting, Malfoy."

"I do try," he said, smirking.

"Poor little flies," she said, shaking her head. "How unfortunate for them. They don't realize you like to snap their wings off and eat them for lunch."

Scorpius opened his eyes. "I do nothing of the sort."

She laughed at him, shaking her head.

"I don't," he insisted, still smirking a little. "And if I do, they bring it upon themselves."

He laughed, sitting up completely and grinning at her. She looked at him for a moment, and then she cracked a grin too, a little laugh floating out of her lips.

"Seventh year," she said thoughtfully. "Isn't this when we start to rule the school? Or am I mistaken?"

"Oh Maggie, we have always ruled this school," he said. "Just maybe not from the center stage. I like to work in the background. Or at least I did. I don't think we have to anymore."

"Doesn't seem like it," she said. "We had our six years of waiting."

"Power corrupts," he said.

"Really? I think it's kind of neat," she said.

"Oh don't get me wrong, so do I," he said, standing up from his chair. He knocked back the rest of the Firewhiskey in one sip, waving his wand to Vanish the bottle. He moved to the fireplace, putting a hand on the mantle and looking down into the depths. Above the mantle was a large mirror with a gilded silver frame. When he looked into it, he laughed again. In the perfect reflection the couples sucked face and the chess games continued.

Yes, the best people always stayed up late. Scorpius just had to find them.


	2. Over the Edge

**Chapter 2: Over the Edge**

Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Defense. Albus and Rose had their schedules packed with all of them, choosing the typical route of the overachiever that had plagued them since their first years. Honestly, it was mostly Rose, but Albus was Rose's best friend, which guaranteed he would be dragged along for the ride. And now he was an overachiever too, simply by default.

He looked at his schedule, wondering if he could skip something and get away with it. He looked up at the high table, wondering if any of the teachers realized what sort of Head Boy they were in for this year. He chuckled to himself.

"Albus, Albus, Albus," Rose said, sitting down across from him.

"What?" he demanded, yawning.

"Do you need coffee?" she wondered.

"Sure, but you clearly don't," he said. "You need to relax Rose. You're hyped up."  
"I am just so excited," she said. "Being in charge… power… oh it's fantastic."

"Someone needs to check you out," Albus said. "Mentally."

"Better yet," Lily contributed from the other side of Albus. "I think she ought to find a boyfriend."

"What would you know about it?" Albus demanded, whirling on his little sister.

"Oh relax, would you?" Lily said. "Merlin. I can take care of myself, oh big brother."

"No, I'm seriously curious," Albus said. "What boyfriend have you had?"  
"I'm fifteen. You need to calm down," Lily said. "These are facts of life, Mr. Perpetually Single."  
"That is by choice," Albus said. "Not because I haven't had opportunity."

Lily rolled her eyes at him. "Of course. Sorry, I forgot."  
Albus sighed, shaking his head at her. "Faith, please, Lily. Have a little faith in me."

"I'm doing my best," she said. "Sometimes you make it hard, Albus."

He narrowed his eyes at her, turning back to his food. Lily just shrugged and poured herself some pumpkin juice. Family. The only people in the world you couldn't just blatantly cut out of your life every time they grated on your nerves.

Charms were first for the day. Rose and Albus had the okay to be late to any class for the first week, on the basis of helping first years find their way around. Of all the people in the school, Albus probably had the best knowledge of the layout of the school, of the best way to get from point A to point B. He could give perfect directions to anyone who asked where the Potions class was, or where to find the bathroom. It came from six years of studying and learning the Marauder's Map he and James—and sometimes Lily, though she didn't really care—shared.

When they finally made it to the Charms corridor, they were probably fifteen minutes late. Rose was fretting desperately about whether or not they had missed material that was crucial to passing their NEWTs. Albus promised her that fifteen minutes into the year was probably not crucial, but she was difficult to assuage. They pushed into the back of the classroom, joining Lucy and Albus' best guy friend, Andrew, at one of the of the rows of desks. A few Ravenclaws sat up front and in front of the row of Gryffindors was a smattering of capable Hufflepuffs. Behind the Gryffindors, a bunch of Slytherins had spread out and were half-sleeping, half listening to Professor Marbury talk.

The Slytherins were an interesting sort. They had long since lost the reputation that had dogged them during Albus' parents' time at school. They had a strange camaraderie that wasn't existent within the other houses. If you messed with one Slytherin you messed with all of them. Like the other houses, but multiplied times a thousand. Their backs were always up. It was a little frightening in all truth. Especially seeing who they worshipped—Maggie Braxton and Scorpius Malfoy. No one wanted to mess with either of them. Their abilities were only matched by Albus and Rose.

Motivation or not, Albus pulled one of his notebooks out of his bag, opening it to the first, crisp page. He wrote the title "Charms" at the top and followed it with a date on the first line. Rose was doing the same. There was something about habit that controlled both of them, about organization and order. And a drive to beat their parents.

Rose had it hard. Her mother's test scores rivaled any of those in Hogwarts' history—other than notable exceptions, like Albus Dumbledore, of course. And Rose had this incredible need to beat her mother on everything, to erase the testing record of Hermione Granger and replace it with the much more exceptional one of Rose Weasley. But it was hard to beat near perfection. Rose had started in on it already thought, by earning a solid stream of O's on her OWLs. She beat her mother by one O.

And then there was Albus. He had the last name Potter, which meant there was something inevitable he had to live up to. James had the devil-may-care attitude that had gained him popularity and the charm that had convinced his professors he wasn't hopeless. Lily had the talent of their mother on the Quidditch pitch. All three of them had a screwed up parent pair to live up to, two idyllic individuals who had so much positive spotlight shining on them. And their kids were bathed in it whether they wanted to be or not. So Albus strove for a sense of success in itself. He never was going to be a fantastic world hero, and he was a decent Seeker, but nothing worthy of a pro league. So he would be smart, he would get the titles and he would figure out how to have fun while doing it.

He looked around at the classroom. Scorpius Malfoy appeared to be taken diligent notes, barely holding his head up. It seemed more likely that he was doodling a very complex picture in his notebook. He would scrape through with decent exam scores too. A pair of Hufflepuffs were playing hangman in front of them.

Albus sighed to himself. He wondered if they were all having more fun than he was.

-CD-

Scorpius sat up in one of the towers, an infrequently used one with a big balcony out over the grounds. He was sitting outside in the cool, early autumn evening while the sun set over the Black Lake. Someone was supposed to be meeting him here, but so far he was alone. He hadn't gone to dinner, so he wasn't really expecting anyone for a little bit. He leaned on his elbows, sleeves rolled up as he looked out over the grounds.

He ran a hand through his shaggy mane of golden blonde hair. It fell in front of his eyes, but he never really cut it any shorter. It accentuated the reputation he had. A school bad-boy, of course. He had worked for that reputation. It was amusing to him. He had entered Hogwarts with the intention of misbehaving, but being so utterly charming and intelligent that he could dance across the line without a hand to hold him back. And here he was.

The sun glimmered off his head, which was darker and more gold than it had been in his first year. It took more after his mother than his father, in the end. He looked at the watch on his wrist, a silver piece, very expensive, which his parents had given him for his birthday last December. Dinner should be over soon.

This was his place, this little balcony that jutted out of the tower. The little room just inside was his personal hideaway. No one else ever really came by. It was nice and private. He could charm the doors to lock and put a bubble of silence around it so no one would disturb him. He came here to think, he came here to fuck. He came here for a wide variety of reasons.

Tonight he had his reasons…

He smiled to himself, looking down at the ground. If he jumped now, he wondered if he would be able to summon the spell to stop himself before he splattered on the ground. It was a funny thought, maybe. He thought of the thrill. He wondered for a moment if he would try to even say the spell or just let himself fall.

He laughed again, a dark laugh, a chuckle born deep in the back of his throat. He leaned away from the balcony, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What are you doing?" a voice demanded from behind him.

He turned around to see Lily Potter standing there, hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"You're so weird," she informed him, a snarky laugh shooting out of her lips. She walked up next to him and raised an eyebrow at him, questioning.

"Glad you could make it," he said.

"I try," she said. "James told me it would be worth my while."

"He's a good guy," Scorpius said, nodding his head.

"Oh you don't think I know that?" Lily said. She laughed again, brightly. "He's my brother. I'm just confused."

"About what?" Scorpius wondered.

"Why he didn't tell Albus to do this," Lily said. "Albus is your age. And Albus is… Albus. He's also a bloke."

"James seemed to think that Albus and I are a little too different to get along," Scorpius said. "I can't say I disagree with him."

"Yeah, well I don't know you," Lily said. "So… I can't really say. It's weird… when you invited me here… I was a little worried."  
"James told me you would come," Scorpius said.

"Well… James is the only reason I came. Any other time and a mysterious invitation to meet Scorpius Malfoy alone somewhere… well any girl in her right mind would decline."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned.

"It means that your reputation precedes you, Mr. Malfoy," she said, springing up lightly so that she was balanced precariously on the balcony railing.

"Excuse me, but I worked very hard for this reputation," he said, pointing a finger at her.

"Why don't we get to the gist of this?" Lily said. "Why does my big brother seem to think that you need a friend? I think you've got enough of them. Maggie for instance?"

"I have friends," Scorpius said. "Your brother seems to think Maggie's a little too oblivious."

"Oblivious about what?" Lily wondered, kicking her legs dangerously. Scorpius had a vision of her tipping backwards and falling to the ground. He questioned if he would have the ability to stop her, even, if she were to go over the edge.

"Oblivious about life," Scorpius said simply, shrugging. He leaned against the railing again, back on his elbows.

"Oh come on," Lily said, starting to braid her hair. "I don't think there's anything that I could fix, take note of, for you. I'm a fifteen year old girl who's just a Quidditch player, nothing more. Don't think I'd be much help with anything."

He frowned. "Don't you ever think that it's good to have someone to talk to that doesn't know everything about you?"

"I don't know," she said. "I don't really have a lot to talk about. You know?"

"I guess," he said.

"Do you have a lot to talk about?" she wondered, hopping off the railing onto solid ground.

"Your brother seemed to think so," he said.

"So… we're here because James told me I ought to come and you sort of just… invited me," she said. "I'm really quite confused."

"I'm confused too," he said.

She bit her lip. "And you're not going to try to sleep with me?"

Scorpius snorted. "You're not my type."

She bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
"It means you're too young for me," Scorpius said honestly. "And too innocent."

"I have a feeling that there are very few people around here who aren't too innocent for you," Lily said, shaking her head. She rolled her eyes. "Malfoy… if we're not here for a reason, I'm in my OWL year, which means I have more homework than I know what to do with."

"And I'm in my NEWT year," he pointed out.

"Don't we have anything to talk about?" she questioned.

"Not really," he said.

"Well you invited me here," she said.

"You didn't have to come."


	3. The Unity of Snakes

_**A/N: Hey, just wanted to say that I'm posting a lot just to get this fic off the ground. I'll slow down the posting after a little bit, but I'm a fairly regular poster if I'm into the fic I'm writing (I'm into this one, just an FYI). Hope you all are enjoying!**_

**Chapter 3: The Unity of Snakes**

Albus scribbled his name on the try-out list for the Quidditch team, writing the word "Seeker" next to it. Lily was the captain this year. It had passed from James to her, and Albus didn't mind. Lily was clearly deserving of the title. She was going to play professionally and they all knew it. The Pride of Portree had been after her since last year. No one could quite Chase like Lily Potter.

Rose had put her name up to play Keeper again, though Albus could already hear her complaining about how she had no time to do anything, just like last year. He just yawned to himself whenever she did that, because she was no busier than he was.

"Have you seen my sister?" Albus wondered of his cousins, many of whom were gathered together as they did their homework.

"Not since dinner," Lucy said. "She said she had something to do… I suppose she headed off to the library or something."

"Huh…" Albus said. Lily didn't particularly like the library, nor was she extremely keen on studying, but he supposed the OWLs could change anyone.

He flopped in a chair and got out his own homework to get started.

As if on cue, Lily came through the portrait hole. She looked as if she'd just gotten off a broomstick, whipping her red hair back into a ponytail as she came into the common room. She had a frown on her face as she tightened the hairband in her hair.

"Where have you been?" Albus wondered.

"None of your business," Lily said.

"You have sex hair," Rose contributed.

"I do not!" Lily shrieked, reaching for her hair.

"Just saying," Rose said.

Albus looked up at his little sister. "You better not have sex hair."

"It wouldn't be any of your business if I did," Lily said.

"Like hell it wouldn't be," Albus said. "I'm your brother!"

"All the more reason not to share my personal life with you," she said sweetly.

"All I'm saying is… you're fifteen. You're not allowed to sleep with anyone," Albus declared.

Lily rolled her eyes, dropping onto the floor and opening her bag.

"Where were you then?" Albus prompted.

"I was outside," she said. "Hence the _windblown _hair."  
Albus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Right…"

"Oh come off it, would you?" she said. "Merlin…"

She reclined a little, getting out a book, a quill and some parchment and ink.

"Albus," she said, looking up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Stop looking at me," she said.

"If James were here…" Albus trailed off warningly.

"Well he's not. But if he were, he would just up and leave me alone," she declared, looking away from him.

-CD-

Albus floated along on the top of the water in his special Head Boy's bathroom. More water poured into the massive pool-sized bath, foaming and bubbling into a thick pillow that cushioned him as he did a few laps of backstroke. This was his version of relaxing. He turned on the right taps and everything became so soothing and comfortable all at once.

He preferred going to the bath at night, and he had preferred that since he had been named prefect. It was better that way. It was peaceful and quiet to wander through Hogwarts. He had the excuse of Head Boy rounds to keep himself out of trouble as he went through the halls out of bounds, after hours. He would do it right before he would go to bed, and it would be the perfect formula to send him off to sleep.

Albus liked alone time. He liked this time for himself. As much as it sometimes drove him nuts to be alone with his own head, this was almost letting himself be completely absent from everything. Sometimes, Moaning Myrtle would join him to converse about himself or his father. And she would discover ways to ogle him as well. Well at least she was flattering. But other than her occasional company, it was nice to be alone.

He liked the Head Boy's bathroom a thousand times better than the prefect's bathroom. He never thought it would get better than that. But it did. The badge was a little key to unlocking luxury. It was its own little haven or sorts. There was nothing he had to pretend to be when he was in the confines of this room, and he had realized that in two days of being at Hogwarts.

He was seventeen years old. In January, he would be eighteen. He always thought it was weird thinking about stuff like that. He didn't feel old enough to be seventeen. He looked at Lucy and Rose and he didn't think they were old enough either. Maybe it was just him, but something inside of him had hoped a lot more would've happened in his life before this point. But he had a perpetually single label on his forehead, he led a fairly run-of-the-mill life, though he did like to get in trouble… It was just a life. Nothing extraordinary, though maybe not boring.

He thought of Lily. His little sister. Looked like she was getting more action that he was, which simply made him bitter, honestly. Not to mention he wanted to kill whatever bloke put his hands on her. She was too young for a boyfriend—even James would have to agree with him on that, though James was a little more lax about life than Albus was.

Albus yawned to himself, still floating along on the bubbles that made his bed. The air was rich with the scents of plants he was pretty sure were designed to soothe people off to sleep. If he didn't worry about drowning, he probably would've drifted off to sleep right there.

-CD-

Scorpius had a tattoo of snake. He had done it himself, by magic, and it was only until afterward that he realized the location was perhaps unintelligent. It was on the forearm of his right arm, on the inside. Every Death Eater, of course, had their Dark Mark on their left inner forearm. So perhaps it wasn't a wise choice. But it was a necessary choice. And he liked the tattoo, the black and green serpent, forever a branded Slytherin.

It was probably against dress code or something, but as it was almost always covered up by his shirt, he never got called out on it. Besides… who would really care about something like that? He thought it was nice, accented with the black leather cord he'd had tied around his wrist for longer than he cared to remember… it was just a part of him, all of it.

His parents hated it. That might have been part of the reason he liked it so much. Maggie liked it. In fact, he had given her her own, on her hip. No one else ever had much to say about it.

He had given it to himself last year, somewhere in February. He had been looking at his forearm and simply came to the conclusion that a tattoo would look nice there. Maybe it had been a crazy choice, but he was happy with it. It was all part of the person he was.

It was this tattoo he was examining as he lounged on his bed somewhere toward the end of the first week of school. Maggie found him there, and she confronted him, arms sternly and firmly planted on her hips. She cleared her throat several times and very loudly until he looked up at her.

"How may I help you?" he questioned cordially, rolling onto his back. He rested his hands behind his head, gazing up at his oldest friend.

"I need you to try out for the Quidditch team, please and thank you," she said.

He looked at her. She had her game face on, which meant it would take a very long time to get out of this mess. Maggie was the Quidditch captain of the Slytherin team and had held that position since fifth year. She was the team's best Chaser and a damn good one at that.

"No thank you," Scorpius said. "You know I don't play Quidditch."

"No," she said. "You do play Quidditch you just adamantly refuse to play for me, even though you're a bloody good Seeker, probably the best I've ever met. You just refuse to play on the house team. Which I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?" Scorpius wondered. "I don't want to be one of those overstuffed Quidditch players that thinks he deserves to have people swoon over him."

She coughed delicately. "No, you just want that to come without the athletics."

"I think it proves who's really worth something, don't you?" he asked charmingly, tracing his tattoo carefully with his index finger.

She growled at him and threw herself onto his bed. "Scorp. Alexa was a seventh year last year, as you damn well know, and she was the second best option. Do you know what sad excuses for people have put their names in to be Seekers this year? Yvette Flint and Richard Royal. I refuse. I don't think I can handle it. Flint has the coordination of a mountain troll and Royal is a buffoon who doesn't know which end of a broomstick is up. I can't do it, Scorp. Don't make me!"

"I'm not going to play Quidditch this year," Scorpius said.

"Scorp, _please," _she begged. "It's my last year and I can't even fathom losing the Cup to those Potter children one more time! I need you to rip that goddamn Snitch right out of Albus Potter's grasp."

Scorpius yawned at her. "You're going to have to give me some other form of motivation. Because I honestly couldn't care less about the Potter family and whether or not they beat Slytherin at Quidditch."

"Now, hold up, you!" she ordered, brandishing an angry finger at him. "That is the most unlike you thing I have heard lately. Aren't you all about Slytherin pride and house loyalty and kickarse Slytherin unity?"

"Yeah…?" he said.

"Well you're not doing everything in your power to make sure Slytherin wins the Quidditch Cup. In fact, you're practically handing it to the Gryffindors if you don't do this," she said, crossing her arms at him. She had a smug expression on her face as if she knew she'd won already. He frowned at her.

"I don't have the time, motivation, or energy to be a Seeker," he informed her.

"Yes you do," she said.

"Do you really trust me to actually show up to practice on time?" he questioned. "If I show up at all."

She pouted at him. "Please, please, _please, _Scorp!"

"You're so fucking dramatic," he complained, throwing an arm over his face to shield himself from her. "No. I'm not going to Seek for you."

"Yes you are!" she said.

"Give me one decent reason—other than the house loyalty and unity bullshit."

She sighed. "Because I'm your best friend and you would like to help me out."

He sat up and looked at her, biting his lip. "I hate you so much right now, I assure you. I will fucking go to your bloody trials, but if there is one person that plays even remotely close to as well as I do, you let them on the team. I don't care if they're whiny, or they smell, or they're stupid or aerodynamically challenged. If they're even close at all, you pick them over me. Do you understand?"

"Of course I understand," she said. "But I'm just letting you know now, there won't be anyone. So welcome to the team Malfoy. Captain Braxton at your service."

He groaned, throwing himself backward onto his bed again. She stood up triumphantly, flashing him an innocent and all too happy smile.

"Thank you," she said. "You won't regret it."

"I already do," he assured her.

"Also, you crumbled very easily," she said. "You might want to work on your defenses. That wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be."

"When faced with a decision about putting forth a smidgeon of effort or listening to you whine incessantly for the year… well… I had to choose wisely," he informed her. She just rolled her eyes.


	4. Not a Complaint to be Had

_**A/N: Special shout out to my beta who is making rapid updating possible. Because my one word "thanks" texts aren't really adequate. **_

**Chapter 4: Not A Complaint to Be Had**

"I don't think you could even comprehend how much I hate you right now," Scorpius said to Maggie as she magically lengthened the emerald Quidditch robes to fit him.

"Scorpius, not one of them held a candle to you," she said.

"Shut up," he said. "I'm trying to pretend this isn't happening."

She snickered darkly. "Practice starts Monday!"

"Be quiet," he commanded. He couldn't believe he had ended up in this position. He was going to stab her in her sleep. She deserved it.

-CD-

"Hi," Lily Potter said, throwing her bag onto the floor. She crossed her arms. "You play Quidditch?"

"Apparently," he said. "This year."

She puffed out a sigh. "I was wondering who would take over…" She glanced down at her Captain's badge.

He laughed a little. "So what brings you here? I didn't invite you."

"I didn't realize it was invitation only," she said. "I had to get confirmation. I didn't believe it when I heard. Albus said you're good."

"How would Albus know?" Scorpius demanded.

"He and Rose were spying on trials of course," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

Scorpius bristled indignantly. "Sneaks."

"I told them to," Lily said simply, smiling.

"Weasley is a piece of work. So is your brother," he informed her.

"You don't even know my brother," she said, reaching for her bag.

"Yeah, well there's a reason for that, don't you think?"

"What would that be?" she questioned, slinging her bag up on her shoulder.

"He's a Potter. I'm a Malfoy," he said, shrugging.

"That makes no sense," she snapped. "I'm a Potter. So was James. But he was friends with you."

"It was different," Scorpius insisted.

"I don't see how," she said, crossing her arms. She stared at him, eyes demanding an explanation.

"Don't you?" he said. "He's my age for one thing. And he seems so much like your father. Everyone says that."

"Al works a lot harder than Dad ever did at school," Lily said.

"I know, but at the same time," Scorpius insisted. "There's just always been this division, a recognition that he's a Potter, I'm a Malfoy. He's like his father and I'm like mine. Our paths shouldn't cross."

"Are you really like your father?" she wondered.

"My father is not a bad man," he said defensively.

"I didn't say that," she said. "I asked you if you were like him."

He sighed, shrugging. "I've been told so."

"You shouldn't always listen to what people tell you," she said. "They don't always know you well enough to say anything about it."

He just looked at her.

"Well, I have to run," she said, picking her bag back up and heading out of the room. She let the door slam shut behind her, leaving Scorpius alone in the silence.

He laughed to himself a little. He always was laughing, for good and bad reasons, it seemed. He wasn't sure if Lily was mad or just really had to go. At the same time, he wasn't sure if he cared either way. That was the way Scorpius was. Laugh it off, forget about it, brush it away, to the side and let it be. Bury it away.

He hitched his bag up on his shoulder and headed out of the room, down the corridor. He nearly collided with a pair of first year boys who were racing around the corner. They looked up at him in fear. After all, seventh years were a little intimidating, let alone seventh years as Slytherinish as Scorpius.

"Careful," he said, chuckling and smiling at them. They looked up at him for a moment and then nodded and scurried away. He shrugged to himself and waltzed down the hallway, whistling to himself.

It was a Saturday. The castle was fairly quiet and everyone was casual. Scorpius himself was dressed in jeans and a blue button down, which was only rolled up at the sleeves because he was a little too warm for this. He was a slimly built individual, though he had packed on the muscles throughout his life to balance out the smaller frame. He thought he'd done fairly well. He had come a long way from the scrawny, zitty young kid he had been once upon a time. Now he was finally Scorpius Malfoy. That name, after all, left a lot to live up to.

He looked out a window down at the courtyard. A bunch of people were lounging about on the grass and the benches. He thought maybe he would go down and join them. Some of his friends were there… Lily had showed up down there already and was sitting with her brother and Andrew Wood, who was there too. Scorpius never knew what to do with himself.

What did he feel like doing? That was the more important question. But he wasn't sure he had the answer. He frowned as he watched Maggie down there, kissing their head beater and friend, Henry Iamelle. They had been an on and off couple for a long time now. Scorpius really didn't feel like interrupting them. Couples made him nauseous. No strings attached was a better way to go about relationships, he figured. At this age when it didn't mean anything, you couldn't really go wrong.

Because he was totally happy with the way his life was in the romantic world. Not a complaint to be had. Not one. He slept with who he wanted to sleep with and lived the way he wanted to live. It was a decent life. No connection, no intimacy, no hand holding. Just the ideal.

Thinking about it made him clench his fingers into tight fists at his side. The type of relationship he wanted was completely inaccessible to him and that was just… a fact of life he had taught himself to deal with.

-CD-

"Overachiever," Lily accused. Albus looked up from his Transfiguration homework.

"I try," he said.

"It's Saturday," she said. "You're outside. Relax. Enjoy being young. It only happens once, I assure you."

"Have you ever met your brother?" Andrew wondered, lounging on his back on one of the benches in the castle's courtyard.

"Yes I have," Lily said. "And I don't understand how you put up with him. You two should be going about trying to find girls to snog, and here you are… Albus is doing homework while you look at shapes in the clouds."

"It's life," Andrew said. "Clouds aren't bad company."

"I don't really have time to snog girls," Albus said matter-of-factly.

"Everyone could make some time to snog someone," Lily said. "I will say, it's quite enjoyable. It's a nice way to spend any free time you might have. Just my honest and well-educated opinion, I assure you."

"Well-educated?" Albus echoed. "Seriously, Lils, who are you snogging?"

"Shut up," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're driving me crazy with your paranoia. Just let me live my life. Merlin knows one of us has to do it."

"Do you hear how much she abuses me?" Albus questioned of Andrew. "This is _not _fair."

"Dunno what to tell you mate," Andrew said, yawning and throwing an arm up to shield his eyes from the sun.

"Don't you have friends to hang out with?" Albus demanded, looking at his little sister with his own, patented look of older brother annoyance.

"Andrew?" Lily said sweetly.

"Yeah?"

"Are we friends?" she asked.

"Yeah," Andrew said, yawning again.

"See?" Lily said.

"I mean other friends," Albus said. "Who aren't my friends. If that makes any sense to you."

"It doesn't," she promised. "Besides, I just came from hanging out with a friend."

"What friend?" Albus wondered.

"Honestly, you're nosier than Nana Molly," Lily complained. "A _friend, _Al. Merlin. Leave me alone."

"Do I know the friend?" Albus demanded.

"I'm going to kill you and I'm not even going to feel bad about it!" Lily growled, jumping up and storming away from them.

"A surefire way to get her to leave," Albus said smugly as soon as she disappeared from view. Andrew chuckled.

"Seriously though, mate," Andrew said, sitting up. "Why don't you ever find a girl?"

"I don't really have the time," Albus said. "And I could ask the same about you."

"I had a girlfriend last year," Andrew pointed out.

"Yeah. Lucy," Albus said. "But it barely counted."  
"Counted more than all the girlfriends you've had," Andrew said, punching Albus in the shoulder. He hated when people brought up the Lucy relationship.

"I know," Albus said. "But I'm not really interested in having a girlfriend."

"What are you interested in?" Andrew questioned.

"Just finishing up Hogwarts and getting on with my life then," Albus said.

"Lily's right," Andrew said. "You do only get to be young once."

"I know that," Albus said. "And I can't wait to be done with it."

"That doesn't make sense," Andrew said. "I feel like there has to be a girl out there that would just love to date you, Albus. You just… need to give it a shot."

"I don't need to do anything," Albus said. "None of the Hogwarts girls do it for me, Andrew."

"Yeah… but… that's not the point," Andrew said.

"What is the point?"

"The point is mate, your little sister gets more action than you do," Andrew said with a sigh. He clapped Albus on the back. "And that's just sad in its own right."

"Lily's not getting any action. She said so herself," Albus said.

"She's lying," Andrew said.

"How would you know?" Albus demanded.

"Because. Sisters lie to their older brothers so that their boyfriends don't get murdered," Andrew said simply, laughing.

"Yeah?" Albus said. "Do you know who she's with?"

"Couldn't tell you," Andrew said.

"Little freak," Albus said. "She just likes to get on my nerves."

"Another good quality of little sisters," Andrew said, shrugging. "But never mind her. We have a new project. It's Operation Get Albus a Girlfriend."

"Oh wonderful," Albus said. "What about you?"

"One step at a time, one step at a time," Andrew said, shaking his head dramatically.

"I don't know if I like this project," Albus said.

"You don't have to like it now," Andrew said. "I promise you'll like it in the end."

"You promise?" Albus said skeptically, looking up at his oldest non-relative friend.

"Definitely," Andrew said. "Trust me."

"Unlikely," Albus said, laughing. Truth be told, he'd seen the girls at Hogwarts and not one of them really did anything for him. But he would let Andrew work in his apparently mysterious ways and try to figure out something for him. Meanwhile, Albus could go on living his seventh year the way he wanted to. No harm done.

He looked across the way to where Maggie Braxton, a Slytherin seventh year, was snogging her boyfriend passionately. Public displays of affection. Such a painfully frequent part of Hogwarts life, Albus had to admit. He laughed a little to himself.

"What's funny?" Andrew wondered.

"The idea of me ever trusting you," Albus informed him, shoving his homework back into his bag. It wasn't really getting done anyway.

"Wait… did you honestly just shove your homework away before it was completed?" Andrew demanded.

"Yeah…" Albus admitted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Albus Potter for you all," Andrew declared loudly—so loudly, in fact, several people in the courtyard looked up. "Commence the oohing and aahing."

"It's a wonder you have any friends at all," Albus said, rolling his eyes. He'd gotten over the fact that Andrew was blatantly embarrassing a long time ago.

"I don't really think so," Andrew said. "Anyway, what are we going to do now that you've abandoned being a try-hard for the first time in your life?"

"I don't know…" Albus said.

"Let's play chess," Andrew said.

"Riveting," Albus mumbled.

"About as riveting as you doing homework nonstop or until you run out of ink—whichever comes first," Andrew said, springing up and heading back inside the castle. Albus stood up with him and decided he had nothing better do than follow.

_Next Chapter Preview: "Your little sister is a bona fide psychopath." _


	5. Because of the Marauder's Map

**Chapter 5: Because of the Marauder's Map**

If one looked at the world honestly, it would be impossible to neglect noticing one important fact: Potters and Malfoys were not friends. Anyone looking at the world honestly would know that, unless they were Scorpius Malfoy and James Potter. To the rest of the world, a lack of friendliness between the two families was to be expected. In fact, for a long time, they had expected the same.

Scorpius was a fifth year and James a sixth year when they ran into each other. He was the only other person Scorpius knew who ever frequented the tower that, in five years, Scorpius had come to call his own. They ran into each other there sometime in early January, right after the start of the spring term. Despite the frigid northern Scotland weather, James Potter had been standing, bundled up, out on the balcony when Scorpius stumbled upon him.

At first, neither of them said anything—it was a silent pact to avoid animosity, to not shatter the serenity of the other's day. All of a sudden, they were talking and from that point forward, it was simply a quiet, secret, friendship. If Scorpius looked at the world honestly, he would have to call James Potter his friend.

Lily Potter was a far cry from her oldest brother. She was impatient and a know-it-all and very clearly afraid of silence. In fact, she was so different from James, Scorpius began to question how much of a lunatic Albus had to be to make James skip over him and go to this option.

It wasn't like Scorpius actually needed anyone to talk to. He had been fine before he was friends with James and he personally had faith in himself to be fine without the friendship. Especially if Lily was the alternative. But she seemed to think that if James instructed her to do it, she had to. She was convinced that there was some important reason she had to keep bothering Scorpius. She was relentless. There was no way she would accept the fact that the reason she was there was just James being James and thinking he could solve all the world's problems with a wave of his wand.

In all honestly, she was starting to drive him nuts. She would seek him out and then _she _would get grumpy when he didn't have much to say to her.

So he wrote a letter to James.

_James, _

_ Just thought I would let you know that your little sister is a bona fide psychopath. She won't leave me alone because, apparently, you informed her that I needed a friend. I think you're forgetting the fact that I actually had friends other than you. I don't really need to talk to a fifth year girl about my life. I know you told me last year that she would be a good option, and I believed you until I started talking with her. But honestly, I think you should have gone with your brother. He at least would have left me alone. Or better yet, you could've gone with no one at all. _

_ I hope everything is going well with your job and whatnot. Maggie roped me into playing Seeker for the Slytherin team, which is absolutely a joy. Do you miss Hogwarts? I feel like I might miss it once I'm gone. There's something about being a seventh year that is very ethereal. _

_ Your Friend_

_ Scorpius Malfoy_

James was a speedy replier, however, and Scorpius had a returned letter by the next day.

_Scorpius,_

_ Crazy or not, she's still my sister, so watch what you're saying about her. She'll get the message. She's just slow on the uptake sometimes. She'll figure out what exactly she ought to be doing or ought to not do. But you ought to trust her. She's actually fairly smart, fifth year girl or not. And she knows how to shut up and listen, surprising as that might sound. _

_ She is a good option. An amazing option when you compare her to Albus. You two… are polar opposites. Trust me. It would be like an explosion waiting to happen. And the thing is, he probably never would show up if you invited him. He's got enough of his own issues. He doesn't need to talk about anyone else. _

_ And honestly, you know as well as I do that going with no one at all would be stupid. And yes, I know you had friends before me, but I think you didn't see yourself very clearly before we started talking—meaning you had no idea how screwed up you were._

_ Life is pretty good for me lately. I'm pretty amused that you're playing Quidditch, as you loathe Quidditch players. But I'm sure Maggie was pretty persuasive. I mean… I miss Hogwarts a little, but working in life is definitely more for me, anyways. I have a girlfriend again. Her name is Joanna and we have been dating very frequently. I really like her. She's absolutely wonderful. You'd probably say she had a big mouth. _

_ Sincerely._

_ James Potter_

Scorpius sighed. James Potter. He was a piece of work. In a way, very like his sister, when Scorpius thought about it. He was a know-it-all and he nosed in where his nose didn't belong. And he had something major against Albus and Scorpius being friends. He seemed to deem it completely impossible.

Scorpius sighed to himself. Some people were just over dramatic. It wasn't as if Scorpius _wanted _to be friends with Albus. It was just… he didn't understand James' position on the situation. It made no sense to him. James was usually fairly clear about his intentions, but there was something that made him not very articulate for once.

Scorpius frowned for a moment, wondering if James was trying to set him up with Lily romantically. But then he laughed. An idea like that was simply ludicrous. There were so many things that could and would be wrong with that. For one thing, she was too young for him. For another, she was James' sister, and Scorpius knew James would go to the ends of the earth to look out for her. And James certainly knew what type of person Scorpius was, which would mean that James would probably steer Lily in a complete opposite direction. On top of all of that, no matter what it came down to, Scorpius was still a Malfoy and Potters were still Potters, Lily included. They would never be able to be romantically involved—their parents' heads would explode.

But then again, Potters and Malfoys should not have been able to be friends either.

That, however, was a completely different story. Friends could be kept secret. Relationships were impossible to hide for any extended period of time. At least if they meant anything at all.

Scorpius laughed at the concept. The image of his father's face when Scorpius told him he was dating a Potter… it was priceless! Draco would die of a heart attack right there! It could never happen—not in a thousand years of trying to repair the divisions that separated the two families.

And in the end, it didn't really matter anyhow. Lily Potter was certainly not Scorpius' type. She was not, in anyway, his ideal. He figured James probably knew that, in the long run. There probably was no funny business in James' intentions. He had simply just been acting the way James always acted—cryptic, but with good reasons. It drove all of his friends nuts—and Scorpius figured it probably drove his family nuts too.

But James was going to regret his decision, because before this year was over, Scorpius was certain he was going to push Lily over the edge of the balcony. Or there was a very good chance he was going to throw himself over there instead. After all she was only fifteen. And she was a girl. She couldn't very well fix the world's problems with her snarkiness.

-CD-

Albus was wrong to do it, and he knew it. He knew he shouldn't have done it, but he did it anyway. He was a snoop and he didn't really have much of a problem with it. He could see James doing this. Easily.

He had the Marauder's Map open on his lap as he lounged in bed. He was skimming the map's surface for one dot in particular. This was a little harder than it sounded, seeing as dots were all over this map. He passed over Rose's—in the library—and Lucy's, lingering in the Great Hall, even though dinner was over with. The dot he searched for was elusive. It was like she knew he was seeking her out.

The goal was simple. He wanted to catch Lily with whatever boy she was apparently snogging. He figured it ought to be easy, at least when he started. But after searching for her dot, he was starting to think otherwise. And the fact of the matter remained that Lily had a lot of guy friends, and she walked around the castle with them. Albus knew the one he was looking for had to be different. They had to be sneaking off into empty classrooms or broom cupboards—that was the only way to keep a relationship like this a secret from him.

Of course, there was still a chance that the relationship didn't even exist. But Albus was too paranoid to accept that. He would need proof of such a thing, and this was the only way he was going to get that. He wanted proof negative or proof positive—anything just so long as he knew exactly what was going on.

He knew he was a snoop. But his mother had been a snoop and her mother had been a snoop. And if he thought about the stories he'd heard, his father was a snoop too. And Lily was his little sister. He had every right to spy on her and keep tabs on her and make sure that she was making good choices. He didn't care if she had a boyfriend, as long as he was a decent bloke and not some seventh year with bad intentions.

At the moment as he watched—he had been watching all day, when he wasn't doing homework—he finally found her again. He'd lost her right after dinner. She was walking down the Transfiguration corridor with Andrew. He followed the pair of dots, waiting for them to break away from each other. They made it to the end of the corridor before that happened. Andrew took a left and Lily a right. He was bound for the library, it seemed. She was going in a strange direction, to a relatively vacant hallway.

Albus was a bad big brother. He was a nosy snoop. But he couldn't help but feel he was a good big brother just the same. He was just looking out for her! He watched her little dot move farther and farther from other people, heading up a set of stairs in one of the unfrequented hallways. Albus tensed up. This had to be the moment. She had to be meeting her secret romance here. He would know it so soon…

Lily turned in to a room that had a balcony that looked out over the grounds. The room was usually vacant—Albus wasn't sure he'd ever been there. But at that time, there was one other dot in the room. Albus groaned loudly when he saw it.

The label on the dot clearly said "Scorpius Malfoy."


	6. The Duties of an Older Brother

**Chapter 6: The Duties (Flaws) of an Older Brother**

Albus was at a loss. He didn't even know where he ought to start, what he ought to do. He grabbed his wand and flung himself off the bed. His first reaction was to find that slippery, nasty snake and throttle him with his bare hands. There was no way a sinister seventh year like Scorpius Malfoy—Scorpius _Malfoy!—_was going to put his hands on Albus' little sister.

He scrambled down the stairs from the boys' dormitories, thudding into the Gryffindor Common Room. He desperately wished that James was there, because then James would be there to kill a Malfoy with him.

"What are you doing?" Rose demanded, halting him in his path.

"I have something to take care of," Albus declared, shoving a now blank Marauder's Map into his back pocket.

"What?" Rose said.

"None of your business," he informed her.

"Whatever it is seems kind of violent," Rose mused.

"How would you know?" he snapped.

"The look on your face," she said. "Albus. You're Head Boy. Be a good role model."

"Rose…" he said. "I'm a damn good role model. But you need to leave me alone right now."

"What are you doing?" she repeated. "You're going to get yourself in trouble."

"It'll be worth it," he muttered. "Let me go, Rose. I'll be back shortly." With Malfoy blood on his hands and a smile in his heart.

He pushed past her and out through the portrait hole. He took off down the corridor in the direction of his little sister and Scorpius Malfoy.

He didn't like Malfoy. In all honesty, he'd never said more than two words to Malfoy. And Malfoy had never said more than two words back. But Albus simply didn't like him. He was obnoxious, pompous and sinister, just like his father. It didn't matter to Albus that he was a Slytherin—Merlin, the Sorting Hat had spent about ten minutes with Albus while they basically had a discussion on whether he would be better suited for Gryffindor or Slytherin. It mattered to him that he was a Malfoy and Albus was simply prejudiced enough that he couldn't get over the name thing.

Malfoy bothered him. He slept in class and pulled off decent marks at the same time. He was snarky, cocky and far too rebellious for someone like Lily. He had a bloody tattoo of all things! That didn't exactly say wholesome. Albus supposed Lily might just be going through a bad boy phase or something, but it still didn't change his mind about the fact that he wanted to poke Malfoy's eyes out with his wand.

He headed up the stairs, following the map to make sure he didn't get turned off course. They hadn't moved, but were staying in the room together, their dots fairly close.

Albus had this horrible image in his head of Malfoy snogging Lily. It made him physically and mentally nauseous. He would feel nauseous if any bloke—especially one two years older than her- was fondling or snogging his sister. The fact that it was Malfoy made him exponentially more angry and more on the verge of vomiting. He heard his footsteps gain volume as he thundered and stomped his way toward the perpetrator. The entirety of Hogwarts was about to know that you did not mess with Albus Potter's little sister.

He reached the door to the room and stood, standing outside of it, wand ready, not sure what his next move was going to be.

Maybe, if he was a kind brother, he would let her live her life the way she wanted to.

But then again, Scorpius Malfoy had a long reputation and Albus was a good brother. He was such a good brother, he was going to save Lily from making a fatal mistake.

-CD-

"Merlin. You don't know how to leave a person alone, do you?" Scorpius demanded.

"No," Lily said. "Why do you come up here all the time?"

"How do you know I'm up here all the time?" he countered.

She shrugged. "I just guess. Sometimes I come here and you're not here."

"How often do you come up here?" he wondered.

"Whenever," she said. "And no, I'm not leaving you alone, because James told me not to."

"James is wrong," he said. "I think I'm good."

"So you have a tattoo?" she said, changing the subject.

"Yeah," he said.

"I never noticed," she informed him.

He pushed his sleeve up and exposed his forearm to her.

"A snake," she said.

"Very good," he awarded.

"I'm trying to convince my boyfriend that a tattoo is a good way to go," she said.

"You have a boyfriend?" he questioned.

"Yes, don't sound so surprised. Or jealous," she said, waggling her eyebrows at him.

"I promise you, I'm not jealous," he assured her. And he wasn't.

She laughed. "I know. Just kidding around."

"Who's your boyfriend?" he wondered.

"None of your business," she said. "We're sort of keeping it under wraps for now." He gave her a questioning look, so she continued, "Albus wouldn't approve."

"Of course he wouldn't," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. "Is there anything that dear Albus would approve of?"

"Of course," Lily said. "He's just looking out for me."

"What do you think he would say if he found out that you and I are friends?" Scorpius wondered, rolling his sleeves up and leaning back against the wall.

She snorted. "I think he'd be speechless. Then he'd be mad and then he'd figure out a way to attempt to make sense of all of it. Because it wouldn't make sense to him. He wouldn't understand. Besides. That's only if we were friends. And I'm not sure if we've reached that official status yet."

"Oh right," Scorpius said. "Agreed."

"But I just thought I would say," she said, "that contrary to popular opinion, I actually can shut up and listen. If you ever had anything you needed someone to shut up and listen to, I mean."

"Yeah," he said. "That's good to know. I'm still not sure I'd tell you, but it's good to know just the same."

"Why not?" Lily said. "James, after all, thinks I'm a decent person to talk to."

"I know," Scorpius said. "Some stuff's personal, Lily."

"Well… why don't we start with the basics?" she questioned. "What's with the tattoo?"

"That's too personal," he said, suddenly pushing his sleeves back down. Lily raised a single eyebrow at him and he turned away from her a little.

"Okay," she said. "Sorry… Well… what's not personal?"

"My name is Scorpius Malfoy my birthday is December fourteenth two thousand five, my father is Draco Malfoy, my mother Astoria Malfoy nee Greengrass." He looked up at her with a smirk.

"What's your middle name, Scorpius Malfoy?" she wondered.

"Hyperion," he admitted.

"Hyperion," she echoed. "Do your parents hate you?"  
"Oh come off it," he grumbled, waving a hand at her. "Your turn."  
"Hmm…" she said. "My name is Lily Luna Potter, my birthday is August ninth, two thousand eight, my father is Harry Potter and my mother is Ginny Potter nee Weasley." It was her turn to smirk.

"How deep and personal," he commented. "James is crazy."

"James is James," Lily said. "I don't understand him anymore than you do. In fact, until this summer, I hadn't even known the two of you were friends."

"Did he tell anyone else?" Scorpius wondered.

"Nah," Lily said. "Just me. I feel like he should have told Albus. Not to make the two of you friends or anything—I'm still not sure if that would work or not—but just so Albus stops being so hung up on people's names."

"He of all people should know the weight that a family name puts on someone," Scorpius said. "He is a Potter after all."

"I know," Lily said, shaking her head. "But I think that's the thing. He feels this stupid weight and he thinks it's some great destiny of his to live up it. And he thinks everybody's got to live up to their weight too… including you. Which makes him a Potter and you a Malfoy. I think he'd be a happier person if he just stopped trying to beat everyone who came before him."

Scorpius nodded thoughtfully. "Is that why James didn't suggest him?"  
"I think James thinks Albus has too much on his plate without trying to forge seemingly impossible friendships with someone he thinks he ought to hate," Lily said.

"What does Albus possibly have on his plate?" Scorpius wondered.

"I dunno," Lily said. "He's a guy. James is a guy. They talk about stuff with each other more than they talk with me. But it doesn't matter, because my plate's pretty clear. You could burden me with tons of stuff and I don't think you'd dip my head beneath the surface of happiness more than once. I'm a very happy person. Maybe that's why James picked me instead of Albus."

"Did James think I was unhappy then?" Scorpius wondered.

"Well… I don't think he thought you were butterflies and flowers inside," Lily said. "I think he thought I could brighten things up a little bit. Or annoy you. One of the two."

"One of the two," Scorpius grumbled.

"Who knows, maybe a little fun, excited fifteen-year-old girl will rub off on you," Lily said. "What harm could it do?"

"I wouldn't really ask that question," Scorpius suggested.

Lily laughed, but then she sobered up. "You know, I don't think I've ever actually seen you smile. Like a real smile. People smile all the time, but that doesn't mean you're happy."

"You're just not watching me then," Scorpius said.

"Or maybe you are dark and dreary," she said, shrugging.

"Maybe," Scorpius agreed.

-CD-

Albus pressed his ear to the door, desperately trying to hear something—anything! But all he got in return was a resounding silence. That meant they had to be doing something he didn't want to know about it. Be it snogging, or shagging—they would have to cast a Silencing spell for that one—he wasn't sure he wanted to interrupt.

But the heroic older brother in him had taken over. He had to save Lily from herself, after all, and from the sinister clutches of the slyest, most cunning Slytherin Albus had ever know—or sort of known, because honestly he wasn't exactly on a first name basis with Malfoy or anything.

He cleared his throat loudly and raised his wand to rib height, pointing it at the door. Mentally, he braced himself for whatever horrific sight he might see on the other side. This was it. The moment of truth—in a horrible way of course. His stomach triple knotted itself and he tightened his grip on his wand. In his head, he started a countdown. At first, he thought he would count from three, but then ten seemed like a better option.

Ten… Lily might hate him for this forever… nine… Scorpius Malfoy was a pretty fair dueler… eight… But it was Albus' duty as an older brother to protect his little sister… seven… it was starting to feel very hot in that corridor… six… Albus just didn't want to see anything horribly graphic involving Lily… five… he gritted his teeth… four… this was the moment of truth... three…. Potter versus Malfoy, an ultimate, long overdue showdown… two… a show down for absolutely no reason… _one!_

Albus thrashed his wand violently and the door slammed inward, echoing with a bang as it collided, oak wood on the stone wall. His sister shrieked in shock.

"Albus!" she gasped.

Malfoy stood up, whipping his wand out of his pocket as he did so.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Albus demanded. And he felt powerful. The world was his to conquer and destroy. He simply had to start with Scorpius Malfoy.


	7. When Albus Puts his foot in his Mouth

**Chapter 7: When Albus Puts his Foot in his Mouth**

"Okay," Lily said calmly, rolling her eyes. "Arseholes. Both of you lower your fucking wands, _right now."_

Scorpius looked at her, and then back at Albus Potter, who had his wand held level, pointed at Scorpius' face. Neither of them lowered their wands.

"What's with this, Lily?" Albus demanded. "What's going on with you two?"  
Lily sighed grumpily. "I told you to leave my business alone, did I not?"

"Yeah, well when I see you sneaking off with Scorpius Malfoy…" Albus growled, stepping closer to Scorpius. In return, Scorpius raised his wand a little more, holding his ground.

"How did you _see…" _Scorpius watched as some sort of realization dawned on Lily. He didn't get it, but she was suddenly furious. "I'm going to kill you, Albus Severus Potter!"

But Albus was already ignoring her, eyes trained back on Scorpius. "You think you can snog my sister?"

"Excuse me?" Scorpius said, suddenly baffled.

"Oh dear Merlin," Lily complained, simply sitting down again and ignoring both of them.

"You think you can prey on her just because she's young?" Albus questioned. Scorpius watched Potter's arm flex as he tightened his grip on the wand.

"I'm not preying on her," Scorpius informed him.

"Well… you _are _in an abandoned classroom with her. Alone," Potter said. "Which… whether you define it as preying or not… is a little questionable to me." Scorpius looked up at him. The green eyes of Albus Potter simply said that he was _not _messing around. He had no intention of letting Scorpius out of there in one, unscathed piece.

"Albus… Scorpius is _not _my boyfriend," Lily complained, smacking her forehead with her hand.

"Oh that makes it so much better," Potter complained scathingly. "Listen up Malfoy. If you put a hand on her, I promise you, you will no longer have a hand to use. I don't trust you, I don't like you, and I don't want you near my sister."

"Such a prejudiced blowhard," Scorpius informed Lily. "Look, Potter, I have no intention of laying a hand on your sister—or any body part for that matter. I don't trust _you_, I don't like _you,_ and honestly, if I had a sister, I probably wouldn't want you around her. But I'm not going to stop being friends with yours, because I have no reason to."

"I could give you a reason," Albus said, brandishing his wand threateningly.

"Oh come off it, Albus," Lily complained. "He's never done anything to me. We are not together, I have never even touched him, let alone kissed him. We're not together. So relax and get off your high horse. I don't want anything with him. We're friends, Al. _Friends. _Nothing more."

"Friends?" Potter repeated.

"Friends," Scorpius said, holding up his free hand in a motion of surrender. He lowered his wand and tucked it into his pocket, raising his now free hand as well. Potter's brilliant eyes darted between the two of them and he lowered his wand, dropping his arms to his sides. He looked over at Lily.

"I don't understand," he informed her.

"I know," Lily said. "But you don't have to."

"Lily, tell me who you're snogging," he commanded.

"No," she said. "It's honestly none of your business."

"Yeah, I wouldn't risk it Lily, he'd probably murder him," Scorpius pointed out.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Potter ordered. "This isn't your business."

"Oh Merlin…" Scorpius said. "Lily how do you live with this guy?"

He threw his hands up into the air and stomped out of the room. He was fairly certain he couldn't stand another five seconds in the same room as Albus Potter. It took that short period of time and the only conversation Scorpius had ever really had with the middle Potter to realize easily why James had decided that Albus and Scorpius couldn't be friends. Albus was clearly an uptight, confrontational wanker and blowhard who liked to seem so high and mighty… Scorpius couldn't tolerate people like that.

The middle Potter was just far too nosy for Scorpius' liking. He understood very well why they had never forged any sort of friendship or even acquaintanceship between the two of them. They just… were very different people. That much had become evident in five minutes. James definitely had known that.

Truth be told, Albus Potter sort of seemed like a prick. The fact that he "didn't trust" Scorpius, despite not even knowing him, said a lot. It meant he was just a stereotyping arse who didn't like Scorpius simply because he was a Malfoy. Scorpius couldn't stand people like that. They made his skin crawl.

He clenched his fists as soon as he was out of the room. He nearly punched a wall. He had to refrain, he had to hold back and restrain himself by shoving his hands in his pockets. His teeth clacked together as he clenched his jaw. If there was anything in this world he hated, it was being judged in one way or another by his last name. The fucking stigma drove him to the brink.

He let himself slide down the wall so that he was sitting, leaning against the cold stone. Through the stone wall, he could hear the Potters bickering. Tipping his head back, Scorpius took a deep breath in. Sometimes people just drove him to the point of absolute anger.

-CD-

"I'm going to kill you," Lily informed Albus, crossing her arms. She looked up at him with a frown.

"Lily…" he said.

"Albus, it doesn't matter if he was or wasn't my boyfriend, or if he wanted to kiss me or shag me or whatever. The point is, you jumped to nasty conclusions Al, and it's not fair of you."

"Lils…" he tried again.

"You hate it when people look at you and say 'oh, he's a _Potter.'" _She crossed her arms at him. "So don't turn to Scorpius and say, 'oh, he's a _Malfoy.'" _

"Lily, please," he said.

"Albus, I can't believe you just stormed in here," she said. "I don't need you to look after me."

"I'm your older brother," he said simply. "I will look after you until the day I die."

She sighed, looking up at him. "That would seem so sweet if you hadn't just made me so angry." She put a hand on her hip and shook her head.

"It would be easier if you would just tell me who you're kissing," Albus said.

"It's not just kissing," Lily said. "He's my boyfriend. The guy is my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Albus repeated. "Who is it, Lils?"

"You won't be happy about it," she said. "So I really don't want to tell you."

"Are you happy?" Albus wondered.

"Yes," she said.

"Then I'll be happy about it," he said.

"No you won't," she said. "You say that, but it's not true."

"You never know," he said.

She looked up at him, contemplating for a moment. Then she sighed. "He's a seventh year."

"He's a what?" Albus said, anger heating up in him again. Any seventh year was far too old for his fifth-year sister. That wasn't right… that was… screwed up.

"He's a seventh year," she said. "And if you're going to be happy for me, you're going to be happy for me, Albus. Because I'm happy. So you need to deal with this…"

"I'm just… how long as this been going on?" he demanded.

"Since last year," she said. "The end of last year."

"Did you see him over the summer?" he wondered.

"A little bit," Lily said. "Here and there."

"Who is it, Lily?"

"If you freak out, I'm going to kill you," she said. "If you try and hurt him I'm going to hex you. I promise. You need to calm down and not get all heroic on me. You can't ruin this for me."

"Who is it?" he asked for what felt like the four thousandth time.

She took a deep breath, visibly bracing herself. "Andrew."

Albus looked at her for a moment. "Andrew…?"

"Andrew Wood," she said.

"As in my best mate, Andrew Wood?" Albus contemplated. This didn't make sense…

"How many Andrew Woods do you know?" Lily questioned.

"Oh Merlin…" Albus said. "You've got to be kidding me Lily… my best mate… and my sister… my best mate and my sister!" He could hear the panic in his own voice.

"I really like him, Al!" she said. "Don't be mad, please."

"That practically… violates everything rule there is between blokes…" Albus said. "Oh Merlin…"

"Please, Al," she said. "Just… please."

"I just… I can't believe it," he said. "Why… I mean… how did that happen?"

"We kind of connected… you know… if we were ever worried about you, he and I would start talking…" Lily said. "And here we are."

"Okay," Albus said. "I think I can handle this. I think I can handle this. Do you mind if I talk to him? Let him know that I know?"  
"You better be nice," Lily said.

"I will be," Albus said. "He's still my best mate… No matter how much I want every bloke to keep his hands off of you. He's still Andrew. And I at least trust him… But if he ever hurts you…"

"Oh by all means, if he turns into a prick, hex his prick off," Lily said.

"Okay…" Albus said. "I think I can handle that."

"Thank you for not freaking out," she said to him, smiling a little.

"For one thing, I think I freaked out enough for one day. Other than that… well… I'm freaking out on the inside," he assured her. "I have to go talk to Andrew."

"Okay," she said, watching him as he walked away.

Albus pulled open the same door he had blown open not ten minutes before. He turned out into the corridor and froze. Scorpius Malfoy was sitting on the floor, his head in his hands. He looked up, startled, when Albus came out, and he scrambled to his feet, clearing his throat.

"Hey…" Albus said. "Er… I just wanna say… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"No, you shouldn't have," Malfoy grumbled, staring Albus down forcefully. His silver eyes were as cold as ice.

"Yeah," Albus said. "And I am sorry. Really."

Malfoy nodded a couple of times. "I'm really just friends with your sister."

"I know…" Albus said, shaking his head. "I just worry about her."  
"I think she can look after herself."

"That might be," Albus said, "but at the end of the day, I'm still her brother and she's still my little sister."

"That's a dynamic I'll never understand," Malfoy said thoughtfully.

"I hope you're not too upset by what I said," Albus said, aiming to be diplomatic now.

"No, not at all," Malfoy said, shaking his head and waving a hand through the air.

"Okay," Albus said. Though, honestly, he didn't believe him. No one looked that distraught if they weren't that distraught. Malfoy seemed to see the dubiousness of his statement, and a fair pink blush crept into his usually pale cheeks.

It was weird. This was the most Albus had ever conversed with Malfoy. Despite having listened to him answer questions in class for the past six years, Albus had never really notice the exact tone, the unique timbre of Malfoy's voice. It was a low, but very clear ringing tone, almost musical in nature. It had a hint of pretentiousness to it, yes. Albus frowned to himself. Sometimes his powers of observation went haywire.

"Well… see you in class Potter," Malfoy said, starting off down the corridor.

"Yeah…" Albus said, turning to follow his retreating form. "See you in class."

He shook his head, setting off to find his best mate and set a few records straight. If he didn't have to bother with Scorpius Malfoy again, he would be fairly content with his life. A sharp contrast, he supposed, from simply wanting to kill him.


	8. What's it like in Your Brain?

**Chapter 8: What's It Like in Your Brain?**

Scorpius had himself buried in a godforsaken part of the library. It was dark back there, limited lamp light, and everything was a little dustier than it was elsewhere. The books were thicker and darker, and in some ways better company. It was a place where no one would bother him, for certain.

He created for himself a little bubble. It was a homework bubble, a thinking bubble, where he could shut himself off from the world in a tiny hole filled with knowledge. Some of it was dark knowledge, black and deep, as the books around him carried information that made the average person shudder. He wasn't average, but he also wasn't there for pleasure reading. He was there to get work done.

His brain was fried. It was beyond salvaging. And all he could think about were topics so blatantly not related to anything he had learned in his time at Hogwarts this year.

He had a dark brain sometimes, an overdramatic brain. It wasn't so much amusing to him as it was thought-provoking entertainment. He could think for hours about the inner workings of his own brain, the crazy things it thought about.

And at the moment, he was fascinated by the little section of his brain that had suddenly decided that, after six years of nothing but stoic ignorance between the two of them, it was time to make friends with Albus Potter. Now Scorpius was desperately trying to poke around in his brain to find out where he came up with that absurd conclusion.

First of all, Potter was a prick. Second, they had never been friends before, and there really seemed to be no reason to start now.

So somehow, somewhere in the black folds and corners of his brain, he had decided that it would be ideal now to fix all of those things and become friends with him…

He was justifying it. Potter hadn't seemed much like a prick in the apology he had said to Scorpius. In fact, it had seemed very near to genuine. He seemed legitimately concerned…

Scorpius told himself to shake it off. There was no reason to dwell on minute acts of kindness in a sea of hostility. He rolled his eyes at himself. He was taking things too far. Being friends with Albus Potter? The thought, if anything, ought to make him laugh. It was ludicrous. Simply ludicrous.

He tried to devote himself to his Charms homework.

_Oh Merlin, Scorpius. _He thought to himself, _you're going to be the death of yourself…_And it was entirely true. He was going to be. He rested his forehead on the desk in front of him, putting his hands on the back of his head, linking his fingers together.

Scorpius had his issues—they had been there for a while. His drama problems, he liked to call them. He just made a big deal about everything, at least inside his head. There it all stewed and eventually became an unstable reaction that was destined to explode. But he liked to exacerbate all of it by doing this thinking thing of his, where he started to dwell on minuscule details.

He had been with his share of people. He wasn't going to contest that or anything. He had slept with a bunch of different people. He wasn't necessarily a decent human being. But he wasn't indecent either.

He stood up and grabbed all of his things, shoving them into his bag. Within seconds he was completely out of the bowels of the library, back in the corridor. He slipped into an empty classroom and took a deep breath. With a couple of taps of his wand, he had performed a Disillusionment Charm, watching himself fade into just a glimmer of himself. Enough that people wouldn't notice him disappear in the hallways, enough that no one would notice him slipping through the humpback witch passageway and into Hogsmeade.

Almost everyone knew about the passageway at this point. It was hard to get out of Hogwarts without someone knowing. But Scorpius always seemed to manage it. He timed his disappearing act very well.

It was the same this day. He made it through with no problem. He slipped through the passageway and down into the dark. Once he knew he was secure, he lit up his wand to give himself a little light.

He did this a lot. It was a miracle he hadn't been caught yet. But life was easier if he let himself escape every once in a while. And when he escaped, he went far away, especially since he had his Apparition license. He always wondered how he didn't get caught.

The Hogsmeade street was pretty empty, a typical Monday night. No one was around. Most people were in the Three Broomsticks or The Hog's Head.

He walked to the end of the street and then turned on the spot.

London was cold and quiet. The world was chilly, Scorpius thought. He walked up to the apartment building, buzzing up to the top floor. He waited patiently, wishing he'd brought a cloak as his breath condensed in the air in front of him. No one even asked who he was, but simply unlocked the door for him. He walked through, headed for the stairwell and the second floor.

The apartment he was destined for was the third on the second floor. He knocked on the door a couple of times, and it swung open, letting him in.

His friend Max Wylie had left Hogwarts two years ago. He was nineteen now, a burly kid who used to play Beater for the Slytherin team. He and Scorpius got along well. The two of them had the same issues sometimes… and Scorpius had turned to the older boy for support.

"Hey," Max said, laughing when he saw Scorpius. "You snuck out?" Max was shorter than Scorpius, though it hadn't been that way when they were both two years younger. Scorpius had shot up like a weed in two years and Max had stayed relatively the same.

"I snuck out," Scorpius said.

"You're going to get caught one of these days, and I'm probably going to laugh," Max informed him, flopping on his sofa. He shook his shaggy light brown hair out of his dark eyes. Scorpius settled on one of the chairs.

"Whatever," Scorpius said.

"Either way… what brings you here?" he wondered.

"I'm just kind of… I needed a break," Scorpius admitted.

"Yeah?" Max said. "I know the feeling. What made the need, mate?"

"People," Scorpius said.

"As always. I probably could've guessed," Max said, chuckling. "So you thought you'd come here."

"Well, you get it," Scorpius said.

"I do," Max said. "I really do." He yawned loudly, stretching out on the couch.

"How's life been for you?" Scorpius wondered.

"Not bad," Max said. "I met someone."

"You did?" Scorpius said.

"Yep," Max said. "We were both at the Leaky Cauldron, minding our own business at the bar… but then we hit it off."  
"Wow, that's great," Scorpius said. "Stereotypical meeting place… How did you figure it out?"

"Oh… you mean that he was just as gay as I am?" Max said, laughing. "He made it pretty clear off the bat. He looked at me and said, 'Why are the good ones always straight?'"

Scorpius laughed. "Really?"  
"I kid you not," Max said. "His name is Albert and he works at Flourish and Blotts."

"Well that's good. I'm happy for you," Scorpius said. Despite his words, he found himself frowning.

"Why the long face then?" Max said, calling him out on it instantly.

"No reason," Scorpius said.

"No more hook-ups between you and me," Max said. "That's what you're frowning about? Did you come here for that reason? Shit, Scorpius, I always felt bad about defiling a kid anyway."

"It's not defiling if the kid is willing," Scorpius said, shrugging.

"I suppose not…" Max said. "But you were still sixteen… and I was eighteen…"

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "But still…"

"Is that why you came here?" Max wondered. "Are you horny?"

Scorpius blushed, but tried to laugh it off. "Don't worry about it."

"I won't," Max said. "I like the idea of fidelity."

"I don't blame you," Scorpius said. "It's a nice concept."

"So you haven't found anyone then?" Max questioned.

"No," Scorpius said. "It's Hogwarts… there's really no one that's open about all of this…"

"You found me, didn't you?"

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "But you weren't exactly being secretive about it. No one would have suspected if you hadn't told the world."

"And it was extremely liberating," Max said. "And I'm sure no one suspects you, either."

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "Remember how I kept it a secret that we were even friends, Max? I can't very well… It's not… nobody's all that kind about this sort of thing…"

"You never know," Max said.

"Well…" Scorpius said. "It doesn't really matter who is out or who isn't. In the end, I still have to like them. And I promise you that most of the blokes I'm interested in are not gay."

"Completely and utterly un-gay, just like yourself?" Max speculated.

Scorpius frowned. "Honestly, if people thought really hard about it, I don't think I'd come off as not gay."

"What do you mean?" Max wondered.

"Just the way I am," Scorpius said. "It has that ring to it."

"I am completely unaware of any such ring, and if you hadn't found me – you were sobbing like a three-month-old, mind you- that one day when you were fifteen… I think I would have no idea," Max informed him.

Scorpius shook his head. "It's my reputation. I have this reputation for sleeping with people. Girls."

"That's because you do sleep with girls, Scorpius," Max said. "If I recall, that's all you sleep with at Hogwarts."

"Of course," Scorpius said. "Because they're the only option."

"I'm trying to imagine what it's like in your brain, which is clearly run only by your cock," Max said. "Horny. You are always horny. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Well… it's because sleeping with girls doesn't do it for me," Scorpius said. "I'm always wanting more afterward."

"So hard to satisfy," Max teased him, cracking a smile. "Look… have you told Maggie yet?"

"No…" Scorpius admitted.

"Shit, Scorpius. You're never going to get anywhere if you can't even tell your best friend. Also, if you were so ringy with the gay thing, you would think she would know by now."

"Yeah well…" Scorpius said, clenching his jaw. He thought for a moment.

"I think you have a hard time picturing it," Max said.

"Picturing what?"

"Yourself being gay," Max clarified, looking at Scorpius across the coffee table.

"Max… I picture it plain as day. In the mirror. Every morning," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"That's not what I mean," Max said. "I mean, out in the open. Even with someone—and I mean really with someone. Not this shit that you and I have done in the past."

Scorpius took a deep breath. "Yeah? You might be right, I suppose. But at the same time… I want to be with someone… it's just the concept of baring that part of me. It's a pretty well-kept secret, when you think about it. You're the only one on the face of this earth who knows that I'm gay."

"I know that," Max said. "Which is why I think that, even after all this time, even after whatever you and I have done in the past, you're still afraid of it—you're afraid to admit it, even to yourself."

"I admit it!" Scorpius snapped adamantly.

"Do you?" Max said. "Because if you did, I think you'd be happier."

Scorpius frowned. "I think I'd be happier if I was straight."

"Yeah, you would be," Max said. "I know very well that you would be. But you're not. And that's life. And it's a bitch."


	9. Climbing Over the Wall

_**A/N: So did all y'all hear about the stories that have been getting deleted for being too... explicit? Let's all take a moment of silence in their memories and cross your fingers that none of mine go out the window (they're at risk, believe me). Hope you are enjoying this fic! **_

**Chapter 9: Climbing Over the Wall**

"I'll have none of that, thank you very much," Albus said, physically pulling Lily off Andrew's lap as they all lounged outside under the tree by the lake.

"Oh come off it, Al," Lily complained, leaning against Andrew's side instead.

Albus had already given Andrew a kind warning. "If you shag her before she's seventeen, I will have absolutely no problem in murdering you."

Apparently, however—at least according to Andrew- Lily's reply when Andrew told her that was, "It's not like we'd let him find out anyways."

Which, in itself, was very concerning.

"I'm sorry I have a low threshold for things that have the potential to make me gag," Albus informed her.

She rolled her eyes at him as Andrew wrapped his arm around her.

To make it worse, Lily had suddenly gotten herself on a tangent of sorts. All week she had been dogging Albus, determined that he listen to her. The fact of the matter was, she had decided that it would be a great idea for him to become friends with Scorpius Malfoy.

That was all well and good except for a few really important details. Like the fact that, quite obviously, Scorpius Malfoy hated him. Malfoy didn't even look at him most of the time. Not when Albus glanced around at him in classes at least. Not that Albus spent a lot of time looking in Malfoy's direction or anything. He was just mostly curious as to whether Scorpius' voice had that strange timbre to it all the time, because he hadn't ever noticed it before.

Why Lily had this sudden determination, Albus had no idea. She was Lily, and therefore she never made any sense. Albus was just going to leave everything at that.

Interestingly, however, because Albus was so acutely aware of his surroundings and the people in them, he knew that the Slytherin and his entourage were not far away. It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon, so many groups were out on the lawn, enjoying what could be the last nice day of the year; the weather could turn bad at any time up here in Scotland.

Albus watched the Slytherin group sprawled on the lawn a good distance away. Scorpius Malfoy, Maggie Braxton, Henry Iamelle and a few others. It was a weird dynamic, at least from Albus' observation. Scorpius Malfoy honestly only seemed comfortable talking to Maggie and somewhat to her boyfriend, Henry. Other than that, he rarely opened his mouth, sat a little ways away and didn't even always focus on the group. More than once Albus had to turn his gaze away quickly to avoid making direct eye contact when Malfoy glanced in his direction, scanning the grounds.

Albus yawned, flopping onto his back.

"No sleeping," Lily commanded.

"Why not?" Albus said.

"Because you need to get a good night's sleep," Lily said. "We have to keep you in top Quidditch form—especially now that Malfoy's playing Seeker. We have no idea if he's good or not."

"He's good," Albus said. "We spied on their trials."

"Exactly," Rose said. "Don't take it out on Albus, Lily. You're just paranoid."

"With good reason," Lily said. "Merlin knows what's going on with Malfoy."

"Albus is a good Seeker," Rose said. "Don't worry, Lily."

"I try not to," Lily said, cranking her head around to look in the direction of the Slytherins. Albus followed her gaze, and at that moment, Malfoy turned to look at them.

"Oh shit…" Lily said, whipping her head around. "He saw me. Stop staring, Albus. It's rude."

Albus was much more slow at turning around. He met Malfoy's gaze for a moment, but then turned slowly. Blush crept into his cheeks and he just looked at the grass for a moment, hoping no one in his group was looking at him. He cleared his throat a little.

He shook his head, not sure what he was doing. He was simply Albus Potter. That was enough to drive him nuts.

"I gotta go," he told them all, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Rose demanded.

"I dunno," Albus said. "I'm just a little stir crazy." He grabbed his bag, which had his robes half hanging out of it. His sleeves were rolled up to the crook of his elbows, comfortable in the heat.

He shook his head, just not sure what he was doing with himself.

Sometimes, he realized, life doesn't go the way you anticipate. It wasn't about that though. Life was not about the could have been, might have been, should have been stuff. Eventually, you figure out who you are—and maybe, maybe you're not who you expected you would be. Unfortunate as that might be, you can't let that change anything. That's just life. Full of the unexpected. There would be no reason to get upset or to try and change things—not in the long run. And Albus knew that. Just live life. He knew that.

One day—soon, he thought—he might be able to tell people. At least his family. After all, they _were_ his family. And there was no use dwelling in secrets that he wasn't even sure he wanted to keep.

He wondered though, about that traitor blush that had found its way into his cheeks. That wasn't even fair. But a part of him was concerned. Why did he turn that color? If he was making excuses for himself, he would say it was because he was embarrassed to be caught peering at the Quidditch competition. But he wasn't one for making excuses. That was just more stressful than it need to be. It would have been easier if he hadn't had to note that strange, giddy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

It came from those damn inescapable piercing silver eyes, and that was what Al was worried about admitting. Still, he was a firm believer that if you couldn't be honest with yourself, you couldn't be honest with anyone. So here he was, admitting it. He just couldn't figure it out. For six years the two of them had never spoken, but now a pair of icy eyes and a strange tone of voice was changing everything.

He settled against a cold stone wall, cushioned on the grass. It really was a nice day. And in that sense, it was nice for contemplating oneself, he decided. He figured his greatest trait was his ability to be so completely comfortable contemplating himself. Was he completely comfortable with himself? Maybe not. But at least he could think about it with limited problems.

It hadn't been hard for him. He was in the Quidditch locker room when it dawned on him in his fourth year. He was looking at Emmeline D'Arc, the Chaser at the time, thinking he ought to think she was beautiful, because every other bloke in the school did. And then he got to thinking that there were a lot of cases like that, there were a lot of girls that everyone thought were so hot. He always thought they were beautiful, in the way that a lot of things were beautiful, like a building, or nature. But he was never physically attracted to her.

After a little while, he got to thinking, and it hit him. There was a reason he wasn't interested in girls. To put it simply, he was interested in a different realm. It never really dawned him, the way he used to look at the other male Quidditch players when he would watch the games he wasn't playing in. He always admired their shapes, their bodies… he thought they were attractive.

So he was gay. Maybe that was supposed to unnerve him, depress him, destroy him. But it didn't. It was just something he knew about himself. He wasn't flamboyant about it, and there was only one other person in this world who knew about it. He had told James only, a year after he figured it out. And James was great about it. His only words were "I always knew you were a little weird." But they were brothers, no matter what.

He had never tried to pursue anything, because there were practically no people in Hogwarts who were out about this, and Albus certainly wasn't—he was waiting for the right time. So here he was, with his secret attractions, and he just sort of let them be. Because this was his life, and there was nothing he could do but live it in the way it was presented to him.

But this… It was just strange. He just wanted to talk to someone he hadn't had an actual conversation with in six years of knowing each other. Not a big deal, maybe, in some other world. But it sure felt like a big deal in the world Albus inhabited. He wasn't sure what it meant.

He was barely sitting there for ten minutes when the Devil himself appeared.

"Hey, Potter," Malfoy said, looking down at Al. His bag was slung over his shoulder, and he leaned against Albus' wall, robes balled in one hand.

"Hey," Albus replied, looking up uncertainly.

"So your sister is dating Andrew Wood?"

"Yeah," Al said. "Not sure how I feel about it yet."

"She really likes him," Malfoy said. "At least so she says."

"I know," Al said. "And I still don't really understand the dynamic of the friendship you have with her, either…"

"I'm not quite sure if I do either," Scorpius said. "If I'm being perfectly honest." He cracked a grin and it actually looked real to Al—the first time he had seen a legitimate smile on Malfoy's face. Or so it seemed.

"Yeah well… it makes no sense," Albus said.

"And yet, she and I are friends," Malfoy said.

"Yeah…" Albus said. "Well… so what brings you to my wall?"

"Your wall, is it?" Malfoy questioned. "Well… I just figured I would say no hard feelings for when you stormed in on Lily and me the other day… I understand that you were just looking out for your sister."

"Oh," Albus said. "Well that's good. Yeah. I'm still sorry about that. I said a lot of shit about you that, seeing as I don't know you, I really don't have any right to say. I know what it's like when people jump to conclusions about you based on your last name. Happens to me all the time."

"At least they're good conclusions," Malfoy pointed out.

"The good conclusions mean I have a lot to live up to," Albus said. "And if _I'm_ being perfectly honest, I don't have the energy to live up to them."

"Yeah?" Malfoy said. "That's unfortunate."

"Says the world," Albus said, chuckling. "I don't have the energy or motivation to be upset about it either."

Malfoy chuckled along with him. "It's weird, isn't it? For six years we've been in the same classes. We were prefects together… and yet… we've never really spoken."

"I think a strange wall sort of stands between us," Albus said.

"It's called tradition," Malfoy said. "Our fathers—our grandfathers, I suppose—built it there and we're so used to it we don't bother to go around. Don't you think?"

"Something like that," Albus said.

"I don't really see it," Malfoy said. "But it's there. And here we are."

"On two separate sides," Albus said.

Malfoy laughed. "Your sister made it over, you know."

"She's more agile than I am," Albus said. "Good at the climbing thing." He wondered how long the strange metaphor was going to go on.

Malfoy laughed. "Is she really? Hmm… I guess that makes sense."

"But I mean…" Albus said. "I'll give anything a shot."

"At least we can say that… maybe we don't let there be any animosity?" Scorpius wondered.

"Sure," Albus said. "We can do that."

"Okay." Malfoy nodded at him. "I don't think you can be that bad, you know. Your siblings seem to like you?"

"Siblings? Plural?" Albus questioned.

"Yeah. I was friends with James too…"

"Merlin…" Albus said. "I am the only one stuck on this side then."

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "But hey… everyone's climbed over toward me at this point. I can climb too."

Albus laughed. "We can cut the metaphor shit now, right?"

"Yeah, let's," Scorpius said. "I have to go. Talk to you later, Potter."

"Bye, Malfoy."


	10. What I've Always Wanted

**Chapter 10: What I've Always Wanted**

_Scorpius,_

_How are you? I'm fine. Still dating my girlfriend. How's everything? _

_ Anyway. Honestly, it's weird not hanging out with you and everyone else at Hogwarts every single day, like last year. _

_ I hope you're having a good year so far. A good September, at least. Lily says that you two have "sort of" become friends. I guess that's better than nothing. Honestly, I really hope that everything is going well for you. Smiles and whatnot. Because everyone knows that you're virtually incapable of smiling. You know, feel free to Floo me or write me with anything. Mental therapy, you know. I'm an outside link to people. Real people, I mean. Not just Hogwarts students… _

_ Anyway. Like I said. Best wishes,_

_ James_

Scorpius didn't like telling anybody anything. He was a secret-keeper. Because he figured that his life was better off without people knowing his intimate little details. Especially the catty and cruel people at Hogwarts. But he never told James he was gay, and he never told Maggie either, and they were probably his two best friends.

Max was the only person who knew and that was because Scorpius simply needed guidance. Max hadn't been much help when Scorpius hunted him down either.

Max was a Ravenclaw, two years older than Scorpius. He had blatantly come out to school when he was in his sixth year, proclaiming it all loud and proud to Hogwarts. He was gay, he didn't care what they thought, and anyone that had a problem with it would have to take it up with him. No one was dumb enough to take any problems up with a bulky, relatively skilled duelist like Max Wylie.

When Scorpius first came to the realization that he was gay, he just bottled it up inside of him. He knew it and he accepted it—as much as he wished things were different, he knew he couldn't change who he was and had to live with it. He had seen Max come out, sure, and the reaction that the rest of the school had. But the thing was, Scorpius wasn't, as a fifth year, well-respected enough to come out to the rest of the school. No one was afraid of him, no one thought he would best them in a duel. And so it was best to keep it a secret. And he'd gotten used to keeping it a secret.

Acceptance. What an odd thing to think about. In a sense, Scorpius had found it. In another sense… it was so far away from him he couldn't even fathom its existence. Because in the end, he still wished he could change everything. The tears came and went. He couldn't help himself sometimes. It was just the dramatic nature he had. He found himself upset about who he was, one rainy afternoon in February of that fifth year. And then he was seeking out the only support he thought he could find—the only person he knew for certain wouldn't reject him because of his preferences.

Max was in the courtyard when Scorpius found him. He managed to hold in the tears he had until he and Max were in a quiet, empty classroom, alone. Within a fraction of a second, once that door was closed, he was sobbing out the secret he thought was best kept just that way—secret.

At first, Max had told him that the best thing he could do would be to tell everyone. It would feel liberating. That's what Max told him. But Scorpius couldn't do it. Max told him it was a mistake. Scorpius didn't listen. He like secrets. He liked acting. Or at least, he liked to pretend he liked it all. To this day, Max told him that secrets weren't good for him. That they would destroy him. But Scorpius saw them as his only form of protection, the only way he knew to be comfortable with himself.

Max was his confidant, the person he told the truth to. It was a similar role to James, perhaps, who was his friend, the person they talked about life with. But James was more someone to joke around with, to lighten the mood. Max was who Scorpius dissected everything with… And, once Max had left Hogwarts, who Scorpius lost his virginity to, in a moment of what they both called "heated convenience."

He looked up from his homework, which he was doing in the library again. A table or so away, Rose Weasley and Albus Potter were doing their homework too, laughing with each other. Head Boy and Head Girl in their screwed up familial friendship bliss.

Scorpius wondered what it was like to have a big family. He had his parents, his grandmother Malfoy and his grandparents Greengrass. And then there was his Aunt Daphne and his Uncle Roger, with their daughter Assia. But they lived in America. They had moved there as soon as Daphne and Roger got married. And the Grandparents Greengrass weren't really on good terms with Scorpius' mum since she married a former Death Eater. Scorpius had only met them a couple of times. And then his Grandmother Malfoy had moved to the coast of Spain a long time ago.

His family was small, it was nuclear. It was just him, his mum and his dad. Maybe it was better that way. Or maybe it was worse. It was the fear of what would happen. If Scorpius told them about who he really was and they didn't accept him… what would he do then? It was that fear that kept his mouth shut. Because if they didn't love him, then he had no one.

-CD-

"One day," Rose said, "we're all going to be grown ups. And we're going to get married and have kids and jobs and lives that we lead on our own."

"Do you think we'll all still get together then?" Lucy wondered.

"Do you think we'll just keep expanding our Burrow parties until they're so big we need to start renting out venues?" Lily asked, laughing.

"I dunno," Hugo said. "But I can see that happening. I feel like Nana Molly and Gramps will live forever… and we'll have generations of Weasley blood in one place, at least once every summer."

"I mean, we already have generations," Albus said. "Teddy and Vic."

"Teddy and Vic," Lily said. "Merlin, I can't believe they just had their first kid."

"I can't really imagine any of us married. Or really at a place like that," Fred said.

"I don't see me married very well," Rose said. "Do you see me as a wife? I see me biting people's heads off."

"You don't have time for a relationship now, maybe, but you will," Lily said. "We'll all get married and everything will be crazy…"

The entire Weasley/Potter family that remained at Hogwarts was spread out on the floor of the Room of Requirement, staring up at the ceiling. It was decked out in Gryffindor colors and, like the Great Hall, it looked as if the night sky was above all of them. They were stretched out on the floor, in scarlet sleeping bags on soft cushions.

It was a tradition of sorts, this Weasley/Potter gathering. Once a month, they did it. Every year since Vic, Teddy (the honorary family member), Dominique and Molly had started the tradition. It had started out a little more simple than the Room of Requirement, but eventually, there were vast numbers of Potters and Weasleys around. The remaining six were there tonight, camped out, content.

Albus was the oldest as he would turn eighteen in January, a month before Rose and three months before Lucy. That made Lily the youngest, because Hugo was six months older than she was. It was a sort of Potter bookend.

They all had to do stuff like this. It was ingrained in their blood or something. It was a moment of de-stressing, of letting go of all of the factors of the outside world. In the wise words of Roxanne: "Family is always really good at dealing with your shit for you."

Granted, they all had secrets. Albus didn't think it was the right time to tell his whole family about being gay. He wasn't afraid of them and he wasn't ashamed of himself, but he figured he would know when the time for talking was right.

"So… seventh years," Lily said. "After Hogwarts plans?"

"You always knew I wanted to go into Magical Law…" Rose said. "So that's where I'm headed. If the Ministry will take me."

"And I'm going to be a Healer," Lucy said, smiling serenely at the ceiling.

"Al?" Fred prompted.

"I'm going to be an auror," Albus said. "If they'll take me, at least."

"Your dad's head of the office," Hugo said. "If they don't take you, something's wrong."

"Just because Dad's the head of it, doesn't mean he'll get in," Lily said. "Dad explained that to Albus like a thousand times. You still have to be really good to get in."

"I just figure someone ought to follow in Dad's footsteps. Merlin knows James hasn't, and Lily certainly will be playing Quidditch," Albus said.

"Well, do you want to be an auror?" Lucy said.

"Guys… didn't we sit here in like… my first year… and you listened to me blab about how I wanted to be an auror?" Albus wondered.

"Yeah, but you were eleven. You're seventeen now. Things change," Rose said.

"Nothing's changed," Albus said. "It's what I've always wanted. I just have to get in."

"You'll get in," Lily said.

"Says you," Albus said.

"Says life," Lily retorted. "James thinks so. Dad thinks so. But he won't tell you in case something stupid comes up. But you sort of have it all, Albus. You're in good shape, you can beat anyone in a duel—"

"Even me!" Rose contributed.

"And you do have the last name Potter," Lily said. "If that doesn't help, I don't know what will."

"If that doesn't help, it'll only hurt," Albus said.

"Oh shut up," Rose said. "Of the entire class of seventh years, if everyone of them applied to be aurors, guys, who do you think is most qualified."

"Him or Malfoy," Fred said. "Therefore him. Because Malfoy is too… dark to be an auror. I mean, I don't mean he's bad. I just mean he's so enigmatic and so quiet… and then there's the whole last name thing for him too…"

"I know," Albus said. "Don't you think it would be horrible if he didn't get in just because of who his father is though?"

"Well of course it would be unfair," Rose said.

"But it could happen," Lily said.

"Wait, is Malfoy even _trying _to be an auror, or are we just speculating about stuff?" Hugo wondered.

"We're just speculating," Lily said. "I don't think that's what he wants to do with his life at all…"

"Ah well…" Albus said. "We all want different things."

"But nothing's really changed for you three since about your first year," Fred said. "Do you remember Rose when she was like… nine? 'I'm going to go into Magical Law and take after my mum.'"

"It's perfect really," Lucy said. "You're just as bossy and argumentative as Aunt Hermione."

"Ha ha," Rose said snidely.

"You know it's true, Rosie," Hugo said, shrugging.

"I know," Rose said, sighing.

"Well I wouldn't take after either of my parents," Lucy grumbled. "My father, the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Who would want to deal with that? And then, of course my mum, the Daily Prophet Ministry Correspondent." Whenever she said either of her parents' jobs, Lucy got a very pretentious and pompous tone to her voice, which Al knew was simply just in imitation of her father.

"We're too young to be seventh years," Rose complained.

"Agreed," Albus said, laughing.

"Oh come on. I'd kill to be a seventh year," Lily said.

"Maybe you would," Rose said. "But it'll come sooner than you expect it to. Blink and you'll miss it."

Albus thought for a moment. "All of life's like that."


	11. An Automatic Moment

**Chapter 11: An Automatic Moment**

"Ah, Hogsmeade," Maggie said nostalgically, prancing through the air. She spun in a tight circle and hooked her arm through Scorpius'. "I love this weather."

"It's not bad," Scorpius said, shoving his hands in his jeans' pockets.

Maggie frowned at him. "Killjoy."

"Aren't you meeting Henry?" he wondered.

"I would never abandon my best friend for my boyfriend," she said somberly.

He looked at her, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Yeah right."

"Well… I'm meeting him at the Three Broomsticks. Do you want to join?"

"No thanks," Scorpius said. "Not really in the mood to be the tag-along."

"You could've had a date," she said sternly. "So no woe is me. Bex Overton was practically drooling every time you walked by. She was _dying _for you to ask her."

"I know she was," Scorpius said. "But I didn't ask her because I'm not sure I want to spend a whole day in Hogsmeade with her."

"Obviously," Maggie said. "And I understand, I suppose." She sighed, laughing a little. "Knowing you, you'll probably end up shagging her anyway."

"Only if she can figure out how to be quiet for the duration. She talks incessantly," Scorpius said.

"I know," Maggie said, chewing her cheek. "Ah well. Look… are you sure you don't want to join us?"

"Positive," he said, granting her a wan smile. "I'll be fine on my own."

"Okay," she said. "Maybe we can meet up later or something."

"Maybe," he said. "I'll see what I can get myself into first."  
She rolled her eyes. "Oh Scorp." She shook her head and ducked into the Three Broomsticks.

This was a good day, Scorpius figured. It was beautiful out, for one thing. Maggie was right. There was a distinct autumn nip in the air, but it was a good one. The leaves were turning slowly and despite the fact that so much was dying, Scorpius felt like autumn was fresher than everything else. Its destructive ways allowed for a fresh start. You could even smell it in the air.

He pushed open the door to go into Scrivenshaft's to get himself a new quill and some ink. Scorpius really liked quills. He would buy a new one almost every time he came into Hogsmeade. The owner of Scrivenshaft's had long since been an acquaintance of his.

He found himself immersed in a display of tropical bird quills. Some were flashy, some were a little more modest. All were sort of expensive, but that really had never been an issue for Scorpius. He posed a couple of quills in his hand.

"I like that one," a voice said behind him as he held the Kingfisher quill in his hand. It was a small quill, but it was a very vibrant dark blue. Scorpius turned around to see Albus Potter standing there, holding a bottle of scarlet ink and looking through a selection of eagle quills, plain colored quills.

"It's this or the Scarlet Ibis quill," Scorpius said, holding up his other option.

Potter put the eagle quill he was looking at back, walking over to look at the Scarlet Ibis quill.

"I quite like this one," he said, holding out his hand for it. Scorpius handed it to him carefully. "Might be a little ostentatious."

Scorpius laughed. "Perhaps. You know, I think I'll get both of them."

"Good choice," Potter said, laughing as Scorpius selected the two quills.

"So did your friends abandon you?" Scorpius wondered as he walked to the counter to pay for his quills.

"No," Potter said. "I sort of opted out. Rose and Lucy are doing some clothes shopping and I'm not very into that. And Lily and Andrew are on a date… so I figured I wouldn't tag along with anyone."

"I'm sure your sister appreciated that," Scorpius said, as he forked over the gold.

Albus laughed. "Yeah. What about your friends?"

"Maggie and Henry are on a date as well," Scorpius said. "And there's no one else I really felt like spending any time around."

"I know the feeling," Potter said, paying for his big bottle of ink.

"Yeah?" Scorpius nodded.

"Well…" Potter said. "I have to run over to the Quidditch shop… Catch you later, Malfoy."

"No, I think I'll join you. I need to stock up on a few things. The fact that I'm going to be playing this year came as a surprise to me."

"You didn't think you would try out?" Potter said, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they walked across the street.

"No, I didn't," Scorpius said. "Maggie conned me into it. I'm still not happy about it."

"Do you have a broom?"

"Yes, that's the one thing I do have."

Potter went off to get broomstick polish while Scorpius started to make a mental list of all of the things he now needed because he was playing Quidditch. He started in on the gloves, knowing he would need a better pair than whatever was leftover in the Quidditch locker room.

He had a pair of gloves in his hand when Potter rejoined him.

"Oh Merlin no, you don't want those," Albus said. "Those are the cheap kind… they'll give you blisters… these… well these are a little more expensive, but they've got some sort of charm in them that will make them perfectly molded to your hands within the first hour of wearing them…" He pointed to a rack of gloves. "And you'll probably want black. Most of the Slytherin team will wear black gloves." Seeker's gloves were all fingerless.

Scorpius looked at the pair of gloves Potter selected for him and nodded. "Okay… what else do I need then?"

"Well… it sort of goes against the grain to be telling the competition this, but I suppose it ought to be a fair match. You need to service your broomstick, keep it as aerodynamic as possible… One twig out of place can slow you down a lot."

"You don't need to tell me this," Scorpius said.

Potter shook his head. "It's no fun winning if I know I had an advantage. We're going to be on perfectly even ground when the final comes around."

-CD-

Oddly enough, Albus followed Scorpius Malfoy into the Three Broomsticks. Both of them had gone a little bit overboard in the Quidditch supply shop… Or maybe Albus had gone overboard for the both of them, he wasn't sure. Now they were tired and heading to get some nice butterbeer to refresh them.

"Hot or cold?" Malfoy wondered as they approached the counter.

"Cold," Albus said. "I'll go get a seat, it's mobbed in here."

He squeezed his way past a few tables and finally found a vacant one. He pull out a chair and dropped his bags on the floor, waiting for Malfoy to join him. Over in the corner, he could see his little sister with Andrew. They were, of course, snogging. Albus shuddered and fought the urge to go over there and hex Andrew's lips closed and glue his hands to his sides. He kept glancing around, coming across Rose and Lucy, who were being hit on by a pair of Ravenclaw sixth years that Albus didn't know.

Malfoy set Albus' bottle down in front of him.

"Here," Albus said, digging around in his moneybag for two sickles.

"Don't worry about it," Malfoy said, waving him off. "Not a problem. It's my treat for you evening the playing field."

"Oh. Okay," Albus said. "Thanks." He caught sight of Lily and Andrew in the corner again. He grimaced.

"What?" Malfoy wondered.

"What a wonderful day to watch your best mate feel up your sister," Albus complained, making a face.

"Oh," Malfoy said, laughing. "Yeah that could ruin a guy's day."

"Basically," Albus said.

"But still… when you got up this morning, did you think you would be drinking butterbeer with a Malfoy?" Scorpius wondered, laughing.

"Not quite," Albus said.

"There's a first for everything, eh, Potter?" he said, cracking a grin.

"I guess so," Albus said, shaking his head. He yawned loudly. "You know, you're not so bad."

"Well thanks then," Malfoy said. "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment..."

"I guess you're supposed to," Albus said, sipping his butterbeer. "But I guess this isn't so much of an anomaly. You were friends with my brother. You're friends with my sister… I guess it's only fitting and only expected that you be friends with me as well…"

"Maybe," Malfoy said. "Kind of weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah, just a little," Albus said.

This was weird. It was really weird. There was no rhyme or reason to it, but suddenly Scorpius and Albus were no longer enemies. Maybe they had never been enemies to begin with. "Enemies" was a strong word for it. They simply were just not friends.

"It's good though," Malfoy said. "Sometimes I need a break from the rest of them. From Maggie and her boyfriend, I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean," Albus said, glancing over at his sister, and then at Rose and Lucy again. "For one thing, family knows too much. For another… well… Andrew and I are best mates, but as you can see, he is snogging my sister."

"As I can see," Malfoy said.

Albus shook his head. "Want another butterbeer?"

"Are you done already?" Malfoy said.

Albus shrugged. "Not very strong, this stuff."

Malfoy laughed. "Sure, I'll take another."

Albus got up and walked over to the counter to get some more butterbeer for them. This was something strange. Talking over butterbeer with Scorpius Malfoy. It was an odd feeling, thinking that they had a chance of being friends.

Albus glanced back at Malfoy. Then he sighed once. Malfoy was a strange individual, certainly. His golden hair fell in front of his icy silver eyes. He had an angular face, long arms, long legs, long fingers. He was very tall, almost exactly Albus' height, but a little thinner—narrower, not as much bulk to him.

"Your butterbeers, Potter," Madam Rosemerta said loudly, to grab Albus' attention back.

"Thank you," he said, scooping up the two bottles and walking back over to their table. Albus cleared his throat. The hidden, stuffed away gay guy inside of him couldn't help but look at things through that lens every so often. He had taken that moment to analyze Malfoy with that perspective. It was an interesting perspective and he liked it a lot, but he didn't think it was a good idea to ruin a friendship with thoughts like that right off the bat.

He put the butterbeer down in front of Malfoy and sat back down in his chair.

Friendship. Friends with Scorpius Malfoy. That didn't even begin to make sense. But it seemed to be an automatic moment. They weren't friends and now they were, and there was really no point in dwelling on the subject. Albus figured stuff like that had to happen all the time. How long could people go without knowing—no blatantly ignoring!- someone that could actually be a decent friend? He supposed it had to happen a million times every day…

"It's a lot warmer in here than it is outside," Malfoy said, rolling the sleeves of his button down shirt up. He revealed the snake tattoo on the inside of his right forearm. Albus examined it for a moment, the twisted black and green animal on the pale backdrop. Albus squinted for a moment, not quite sure of the extent of the tattoo… there was something else—

Scorpius caught him looking and flipped his arm so that the tattoo was resting on the table, invisible to Albus now. Albus cleared his throat and looked up.

"How did you do the tattoo?"

"I learned the spell," Scorpius said. "Then it's just all about style."

"And if someone else wanted one?" Albus questioned.

"I could do it for them," Scorpius said. "Why? Do you want a tattoo, Potter?"

"Not particularly," Albus replied, sipping his butterbeer simply.


	12. Ball of Sunshine

**Chapter 12: Ball of Sunshine**

Scorpius stared at himself in the bathroom mirror of the Slytherin boys' dormitory. He was too lazy to go all the way to the prefect's bathroom. Lazy. Yeah. That was it.

The steam swirled around him already, even though he had just turned on the shower. He was stripped down, leaning on one of the sinks as he examined his face up close in the steadily fogging glass. It was the middle of the night. Somewhere around two in the morning, Sunday morning, the day after Hogsmeade.

He was definitely nauseous. His head was whirling. He didn't quite know what the source of these feelings was. He didn't actually think he was sick or anything. But he just…

Scorpius took a deep breath, stepping into the shower. He had just woken up from a dream—a heated dream, a very much arousing dream. He shuddered at the thought of it. Just waking up from it and realizing what was going on had been enough to kill the hard-on he had. But now he felt sick to his stomach about it. He wanted to hit himself for having a dream like this. It was a bit of a war with his subconscious.

The hot water crashed over him as he thought about the dream again. He was used to this—dreaming about other blokes. It had simply been a part of his life. But… at the same time. He hadn't expected this one. Or maybe he had. Either way, it felt wrong. He felt wrong.

The water was so hot, it practically scalded him. It woke him up, for certain, beating his skin red. He reached for the tap, to cool it off a little. He leaned his head against the sparkling, cool green and white tile, letting his eyes drift close.

He couldn't help himself. The dream flooded back to him as soon as he let his eyes drift shut. The flutter of kisses on his skin, mouths on mouths, tongues together, cocks rubbing… He groaned to himself at the images, goosebumps rising on his skin even in the burning water. There was no preventing the surge of blood that rushed southward, settling deep.

His hand, almost unwillingly, moved toward his cock, all real now. He let the image guide him, he pretended he was living it.

This was wrong. And a little voice in the back of his head was telling him so, repeatedly. But he honestly wasn't going to listen to it. He was preoccupied with the thoughts and feelings. They sprung out of his imagination—but he'd always had a good one of those. It made it practically real to him.

When he came, it was silently. He bit his tongue to keep his pleasure a secret from those in the dorm room. Sure, it was a room full of four seventeen-year-old boys—this sort of thing was an expected fact of life—but it was still good to keep things private. And Scorpius was the best secret keeper he knew. Still, a low whine escaped his throat.

He let the water pour down his skin as he came back to reality. The dim light of the bathroom rushed back to him and the real world drifted into focus. The nausea was back. It rose like a thick ball in his throat. He loathed himself. Guilt over a new friendship gone awry in his own mind started to mix with the bile and stomach acid. He cringed.

The dream image of Albus Potter had all but faded from his brain, but the idea of it was still there. They were just barely friends and Scorpius was finding a way to mar it—at least mentally.

He slammed his hand into the wall. The sickening crack it made hurt more than the fracture itself. Tiles were hard. With his intelligence, he ought to have known that.

He turned the water off, fumbling for his towel. It felt like he was still living in a dream. The steam had filled the room with an odd haze, and Scorpius felt vaguely like he was under the influence of some potent drug. He cringed at the blur that was his reflection. Thankfully, the film of condensation meant he didn't have to look himself in the eye.

He grabbed his wand and waved it sharply, healing his hand in an instant. He frowned down at it. Stupid hand. Perverted hand. Perhaps he ought to have left it broken.

-CD-

"Scorpius, please, you're starting to freak me out," Maggie pleaded, standing beside his bed. She was decked out for Quidditch practice. Even as the captain, she was going to make herself late, pestering him.

"Are you seriously watching me change?" he demanded as he pulled his jeans on.

"Oh come off it," she said. "You're flattering yourself again. I've seen you in your boxer shorts before. Now come on… Tell me why you look like your best friend just died—obviously _that's _not the case, as I'm standing right here…"

He shot her a baleful look. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," she snapped.

"Yes, _I am," _he said. "Now shut up. Let's go practice this hell of a sport."

"You didn't have to try out," she informed him.

"The hell I didn't! You made me," he growled at her, grabbing his new gloves and stomping after her out of the dormitory.

"Look, I don't know who got your wand in a knot, but unknot it, okay? You're going to throw off the whole team dynamic by being such a moody, whiny bitch. I can't handle it."

"Leave me alone, and I'll shut up," he said.

"Yeah, but you'll keep your funeral face on," she said. "I hate this."

"What?"

"When you get like this. Like the world is specifically out to get you. It's no more out to get you than it is out to get any one of us," she said.

"Maggie, please shut up before I hex you," he said.

"It would be so much easier if you would just tell me what was wrong instead of acting like this!" she said, throwing her hands up in the hair, exasperation evident on her face.

"No, it wouldn't be," he assured her.

-CD-

"I've become a therapist," Albus said, looking down at Rose. She was sprawled on the floor of the Gryffindor common room as he sat in a chair, listening to her psychoanalyze herself. She expected a regular contribution from him, whether he agreed with her conclusions or not. Rose was very keen on diagnosing herself with a thousand or more disorders that the Muggles had listed in all of their textbooks, but which a wizard could cure with a few potions or spells. After all, Aunt Hermione seemed to think that muggle insanity was a sign of innate magic, bottled up.

"Sorry?" Rose offered.

"I quit," he declared, jumping up and leaving her lying on the floor alone. His sister and Andrew were sitting by one of the windows, with Andrew attempting to convince Lily that it was bad form to take her omnioculars to a window with a view of the Quidditch pitch in order to spy on the Slytherin practice.

"It's no use. They're done now anyway," Lily complained, crossing her arms.

"Are they?" Albus questioned, walking past.

"Yeah," Lily said. "They should be coming in soon because Ravenclaw has the pitch booked right after them. And I don't see Braxton practicing for very long with a group of Ravenclaws loitering around."

"Yeah," Albus said, heading upstairs to his dormitory. Once in his room, he fished around in his trunk for a moment before coming out with the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, tapping it with his wand. It quickly came to life, drawing out the details of the Hogwarts castle right before his eyes. He peered down at it carefully. According to the map—and the map was always right—the Slytherin team had just come into the Entrance Hall. Most of them peeled off from the group to head down to the dungeons and their dormitories.

Scorpius Malfoy's dot seemed to have different plans. It started up the grand staircase. Albus watched it carefully for several floors, until it headed to the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor.

Albus was hoping for some rational company. Scorpius was a very down-to-earth individual, which made him good company after a few hours listening to Rose ramble about her life. Maybe if he planted himself in a centralized location, Scorpius would stumble across him…

-CD-

Albus looked up just in time to see Scorpius walking toward him. He was properly placed on a bench built into the wall, reading a book. It wasn't particularly comfortable, and maybe it was an odd place for reading, but he was there nonetheless, in the direct path between the prefect's bathroom and the way to the dungeons.

Malfoy seemed to be off in his own world, whistling to himself as he walked by. His hair was dry, half of it in his eyes, as usual. He froze when he saw Albus and his cheeks flooded with a vibrant red blush.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," Albus replied.

Malfoy kept walking and Albus stood up to follow him.

"What do you want?" Malfoy demanded, turning to look over his shoulder, once he knew that Albus had followed.

"Nothing," Albus said. Malfoy sighed heavily, stopping and letting Albus catch up with him.

"Okay," Malfoy said, looking at him for a moment.

"Okay," Albus agreed.

Malfoy kept looking at him. After a moment, green eyes locked with icy ones and Malfoy's tense posture relaxed.

"My apologies," Malfoy said. "I'm not in a very good mood, Potter."

"How was your Quidditch practice?" Albus wondered, starting to walk again.

"Not bad," Malfoy said. "But I was sort of in a foul mood before I even walked out onto the pitch. So obviously, Maggie was mad at me for not being a ball of sunshine. Apparently I bring the whole team down with me. Even though the only interaction I have to do with them is to avoid flying into them."  
"Oh no, that's not true at all," Albus said. "The Seeker is an important part of the team as a whole entity."

Malfoy looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Then he cracked a smirk. "You keep telling yourself that, Potter."

"I will," Albus said. "It is important. No matter how unlinked the Seeker position seems in regards to the rest of the team, it's actually pretty crucial. For the Seeker, a Quidditch game is not just about catching the Snitch when you get the chance. It's about catching the Snitch at the right time. Not too soon, and if you can avoid it, not too late."

"I don't really understand," Malfoy said.

"When playing for a Hogwarts team, it's not just about the one game you're playing while you're playing it. It's about the games you have played and the games you will play in that season. What will guarantee that your team will win the Cup? You can win the cup without playing in the final match. It's all about points overall. You have to make sure, if you're playing in the final, that you don't just make sure you beat the team that's playing. You have to beat the teams that aren't playing too… All of it's about ranking. That applies to the pro league as well. Who is number one? You don't get to be number one by winning every game just by catching the Snitch. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that you would have won that game…

"And I guess, that requires a lot of being in tune with the rest of the team," Albus summarized.

"Huh…" Scorpius said.

"So… if everyone thinks you're having a bad day, they'll think they can't succeed. Because like it or not, the Seeker often wins the game."


	13. Nosy

**Chapter 13: Nosy**

_Dear James, _

_ Well this is probably something you never thought you would hear. But while becoming friends with your sister this year, I became friends with someone else: your brother. Albus. I don't really understand why you didn't think the two of us would ever be able to become friends. Because here we are._

_ It's a funny story, actually. He thought I was shagging your sister. Obviously, I wasn't. She has a boyfriend. I don't know if you knew that. Albus has it under control. Now that he knows it's not me, I think he's pretty okay with anyone dating her._

_ Sounds crazy to you, doesn't it? You seemed so adamant that Albus and I wouldn't make good friends. But here we are. Friends—maybe not good friends, but friends. And that's a progression in itself. I can't tolerate Maggie sometimes, and Albus often goes off the deep end with Rose or Andrew. We're each other's sane company. That in itself is a little frightening I think. You probably know better than anyone that neither Albus or I could possibly ever be considered sane. _

_ Hope everything's going well, as always. Are you still with your girlfriend? I can't believe it's October first!_

_ Your friend,_

_ Scorpius_

"I hate this class," Potter complained, poking his finger grumpily into the soil.

"Stop it," Rose Weasley said. "You're going to kill it if you keep stabbing your finger at it."

Scorpius looked up at the two of them, laughing. He and Maggie were partnered across from them, in the most advanced greenhouse on the Hogwarts grounds.

"What's funny, Malfoy?" Weasley demanded, pursing her lips.

"I don't even know what the hell this is, let alone how to kill it," Albus grumbled at her.

"Why are we killing my plants?" Professor Longbottom demanded, walking over.

"I'm not killing them," Albus protested. "Rose says I am, but I think they're alive. I would know if I could see them."

Even Maggie was laughing at the two of them now. "You two are a mess."

"It's Herbology," Albus defended himself. "My worst subject."

"Albus, your worst subject is the normal person's best—or beyond best," Professor Longbottom said. "Now stop poking in the soil. You're going to kill it."

"Told you," Rose informed him, sticking her tongue out like a child.

"Yes. A mess," Scorpius seconded, laughing. He looked at Albus, who was pulling on his dragon hide gloves to protect against the potion that had to be poured on the plants.

"This is going to go horribly," Albus announced for all of them. He was grinning however, a big smile pulling up the corner's of his mouth.

"Don't mess up," Scorpius warned him, teasing.

"Very funny," Albus said, smirking at him. He carefully poured the solution over the soil and waited a moment. "Now what?"

"Now I'm pretty sure we watch the grass grow," Maggie announced, yawning.

"It's interesting," Albus said.

"What's interesting?" Scorpius questioned.

"Maggie and Rose seem to be two different types of crazy on the same spectrum," Albus said, shrugging.

"That's not very nice," Maggie informed him, putting her hands on her hips.

Scorpius just laughed. He was in complete agreement with Albus. He could see obvious similarities between Rose and Maggie. They were at least humorous ones. He glanced up at Albus, who had a large grin on his face still. Scorpius couldn't help but look at him. He knew it was bad—he knew someone was bound to notice. But there were levels of attractiveness that were simply impossible to ignore. And Albus had certainly reached one of those levels.

He was tall, for one thing. Scorpius was tall too, but Potter probably had an inch on him—maybe two. Which made him well over six feet tall. And then there was the dark hair. He kept it out of his eyes, but it was still a mess, black sticking up all over the place. And then his green eyes… He had everything going for him, from his long nose to his crooked smile… Scorpius wanted to kick himself for staring—but it wasn't as if he could look away.

"What are you staring at?" Maggie demanded, leaning over to hiss in his ear as Rose and Albus bickered about whether or not Rose was actually crazy.

"Nothing," Scorpius said.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Maggie said.

"Shut up, would you?" Scorpius demanded, stiffening. Maggie didn't know anything about him. She couldn't know. Scorpius wasn't ready for anyone to know. Not even his best friend.

-CD-

"So this is where you shag all those girls?" Albus determined, following Scorpius into the room where he had confronted Scorpius and Lily not too long ago.

"Depends," Scorpius said. "It's not really 'all those girls.'"

"Isn't it?" Albus wondered. "That's what the rumors all say."

"Rumors aren't always correct," Scorpius said. "I'd say it's a limited number. I do most of my shagging outside of school."  
Albus looked at him, incredulous.

"I'm kidding," Scorpius said. "Really. It's a short list."

"It's longer than your average seventeen-year-old," Albus said.

"That depends on your definition of average," Scorpius said. "You'd be surprised what goes on within these walls."

"How would you know?"

"Because," Scorpius said. "If you're looking for the people, you know the people, and all of the people know the other people. It becomes second knowledge when you run in the circles that I do."

"The shagging circles, you mean? The casual fuck circles?" Albus questioned.

"Take the judging tone out of your voice, would you, Potter?" Scorpius said. "You don't know me, okay? You don't know the half of it."

"I don't really understand…" Albus said. "How do you find these people?"

"How do you find any people?" Scorpius wondered. "You look for them. If you're looking, it becomes pretty clear."

"Why do you do it then?" Albus said.

"Are you a virgin, Potter?" Scorpius demanded.

"That's a nosy question," Albus replied.

"It's about as nosy as you asking why I'm _not _a virgin," Scorpius informed him.

Albus thought about that for a moment. "Sorry."

"You're kind of annoying sometimes, if I'm being perfectly honest," Scorpius said, yawning. He pushed open the door, heading out onto the balcony. He leaned on his elbows on the railing while Albus shivered next to him in the early October cold.

"I could say the same about you." Albus retorted. Then he added, "If I'm being perfectly honest."

"Yes, but I'm a different type of annoying. I'm standoffish, I'm cold, I'm arrogant. You're just nosy. Damn nosy," Scorpius said.

"We all have our flaws, "Albus said, laughing a little. "I take after my mother. She used to sit for hours outside of the meetings of the Order of the Phoenix, trying to overhear what they were all talking about… And then, I guess I'm like my dad too. Always too nosy for his own good, I suppose."

Scorpius yawned again. "I think Hogwarts is so pretty this time of year."

"Pretty?" Albus echoed.

"Yes," Scorpius said. Albus had heard blokes use the word pretty before. But never to describe anything but a girl. He looked at Scorpius curiously, but his questioning gaze was met with nothing but a head turned away from him.

"Hmm…" Albus said. "I guess I see what you mean."

"I like this weather too," Scorpius said, pushing up his sleeves even though Albus was shivering.

"Really? I think it's cold," Albus said.

"I like extremes. Hot water on a cold day in the middle of January, after having come inside. Just the feeling… everything. Biting cold, stinging heat… It's always good to be reminded you're alive. But I don't like snow. I don't like that kind of cold. That' s unnecessary cold. It doesn't make me feel alive at all."

"That's a weird way of thinking about it," Albus said.

"It's how I think about it," Scorpius said.

"What are we doing up here anyway?" Albus wondered.

"You didn't have to follow me," Scorpius informed him.

"It's not that," Albus said. "I'm just curious as to what you do when you're up here."

"You're looking at it," Scorpius said.

"Oh." Albus leaned against the railing of the balcony too, looking out of the Hogwarts grounds. Next to him, he could hear Malfoy's breathing, mixed with the cool wind that was whipping around them. It was a steady in and out, like waves on the shore. He felt like he could fall asleep too it, it was so regular and relaxing.

But that wasn't a normal thing to be thinking about a guy he was barely just friends with, so he pushed the thought from his mind, trying to slow his heart down a little bit as it hammered in his chest. Albus wished he could just have a guy friend he never felt anything more for—another Andrew. Andrew was just his best mate. He would forever just be his best mate.

"It's almost serene," he commented.

"There's no almost about it," Scorpius replied with a shrug. "This is home to me. I don't know why. Your brother had a fond appreciation for it too, you know. That's how I first became friends with him. I ran into him up here."

"That's weird," Albus said.

"He didn't seem to think that you and I would make good friends," Scorpius said, glancing over at Albus. "Why do you think that is, really?"

"No idea," Albus said. But a little bit of him wondered if it was because James knew Albus was gay and he worried that Albus might develop weird feelings for Scorpius… feelings that not a one of them would want to get mixed up in…

"Really? None?" Scorpius questioned. "Hmm… I thought maybe you'd know."  
"I don't," Albus said. "Sometimes James doesn't make sense.'

"Sometimes none of you Potters make sense," Scorpius said, grinning at him.

"We like being weird and unpredictable," Albus said. "It brings an air of mystery to all of our actions."

Scorpius laughed. "Or you're just annoying."

"Or that," Albus said, shrugging.

"Well I must say, I did agree with your brother. I thought you and I wouldn't mix well… but here we are. Laughing as if we've been friends since first year!"

"I know," Albus said. "It's strange."

"It is," Scorpius said, grinning at him. "See? We Slytherins are, contrary to popular opinion, not all bad."

Albus shrugged. "You all live in a cave of mystery or something. I'm not even sure."

"It's under the lake," Scorpius said. "That's the only creepy part about it."

"Are there windows?" Albus wondered.

Scorpius seemed to have to think it about it for some time. "No… I don't think so…"  
"How do you not know if there are windows?"

"That's how much you don't need them," Scorpius said, shrugging.

"I don't think I could do it," Albus said. "I like our windows. I like looking out at the moon and the lake…"

"Maybe that's why I come up here all the time," Scorpius said. "Get my fill of the outside world. What I don't get to see everyday."

"That's an interesting way of thinking about it," Albus said. "But I think it makes sense."

"It does," Scorpius said. "At least to me."

He was quiet for a moment, and Albus waited for him to say something more. Scorpius kept leaning out over the railing, looking down at the ground this time.

"Maybe I have slept with a lot of people," Scorpius said. "But whoever I end up with will just have to take me the way I am. Or leave me, I suppose."

Albus shrugged. Then he grinned. "Lucky girl."

Scorpius grunted dismissively and kept his gaze trained at the ground, many, many stories away from them. He frowned, his fingers clenching on the railing. Albus watched him curiously.

And for some reason, they were friends. All of a sudden, maybe, but it was friendship just the same. There was no other way to see it.


	14. A Preppy Gryffindor Boy

**Chapter 14: A Preppy Gryffindor Boy**

_This is life, _Scorpius thought to himself, laughing at the ludicrous nature of all of it. He sat at breakfast, looking across the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table. Over there, Albus was spreading jam on toast, laughing with Weasley about one thing or another. That was his life.

It was an odd contrast. Scorpius, the pale, blonde, sinister Slytherin, with his tiny three-person family. Albus, the dark-haired, friendly, popular Gryffindor with more cousins than Eeylops had owls.

Scorpius was popular, but it was a different sort of popular. Everyone loved Albus. More people were hesitantly afraid of Scorpius. They had an awed respect for him, whereas they all just had a loving respect for Albus.

"What's funny?" Maggie wondered.

"I don't really know," Scorpius said.

-CD-

"I'm pretty sure this is not what we're supposed to be doing," Albus said.

"I know, but it's much more entertaining," Scorpius said. Their tin soldiers battled with each other on top of the desks in the Charms classroom. They were supposed to be lined up and marching in an orderly line with the rest of the row's soldiers, but, as Scorpius said, this was much more entertaining. They'd already had them marching in lines. It was time for something more exciting.

"Take that," Albus said as his solider punched Scorpius' in the face. Both of their soldiers were suffering extensive injuries, finding themselves quite dented as a result of this battle. It seemed as if the two boys were simply being allowed to continue because making their soldiers fight each other was exponentially more difficult than making them march in tight lines.

"They honestly shouldn't let you two be partners," Rose said from where she and Lucy were watching their soldiers march perfectly while the rest of the row struggled.

"This is skill," Albus said, waving his free hand violently at the soldiers.

"That's childish," Rose retorted. Scorpius just laughed at the two of them.

"It's a miracle they made me Head Boy," Albus informed Scorpius, laughing a little.

"No it's not," Scorpius said. "You're the Hogwarts poster child. You're smart, you're always happy, pretty diligent, and you look like a preppy Gryffindor boy."

"I'm not a preppy Gryffindor boy," Albus grumbled.

"You kind of look like it though," Scorpius said. "Always happy, good looking… collected, cool, confident."

"Right…" Albus said, shaking his head. "I don't really see it."

"I'm just saying," Scorpius said.

"Well stop saying," Albus said. "I'm not a prep."

"Maybe not," Scorpius said. "It's a bit of a contrast from… me for instance. I think I'm more debonair, enigmatic. A little less 'model student.'"

Albus frowned. "Do I really come off like this? It sounds arrogant to me."

"You're not arrogant," Scorpius said. "I'm arrogant."

Albus just shook his head. "Okay…"

"Look, calm down," Scorpius said. "I didn't say it was a bad thing. I said you deserved to be Head Boy."

"I don't have any motivation anymore. So they sort of got a little more of a slacker version of me," Albus said.

Scorpius laughed. "I dunno about that. I think you're just naturally motivated."  
"You two are so weird," Maggie contributed from the row behind them, where she was trying to help Henry get his soldier to march.

"We try," Scorpius said, grinning at Albus.

She didn't get it. Maggie. She didn't understand how the two of them had so suddenly become friends. And as far as Scorpius gathered, Rose didn't really get it either. They were still living in the realm of old differences… Scorpius figured they would see it soon enough… until then, they were just confused.

Scorpius liked Albus. As a friend, obviously. He thought he was funny. In a lot of ways, he was a lot like James. In many more, they were very different. But Albus was smart. He knew what was going on. And then… there was that stupid unavoidable attraction. Scorpius thought he was very good-looking. Any heterosexual female or homosexual male would be unable to deny that Albus Potter was a very appealing individual.

And that was bad. Because if Scorpius liked both his personality and his looks, it was a deadly equation. Albus had never had this problem with James. There were things about James that made him undesirable in that sense. But Albus… Albus was the perfect formula for a desperate crush.

Scorpius frowned. This was such unacceptable behavior. And yet, he couldn't help himself. He knew it was impossible. Because Albus Potter had never had a girlfriend and stuff like that was enough to give a guy some hope—even if it was false hope, it still counted. Scorpius hated that little kindled flame of "maybe" that lingered in him. He knew it was foolish. This was Albus Potter after all. There was no legitimate reason to wish for anything.

He glanced at Potter who was now laughing at the mutilated, dented tin soldiers on their desks. He turned when he felt Scorpius' gaze on him.

"What?" Albus demanded.

"Nothing," Scorpius said. "I'm just amused."

"Me too," Albus said, grinning. "Six years of whatever sort of animosity there was between us just vanished in that little fight, don't you think? We don't have to deal with that anymore. It's behind us. No more animosity."

"Leave it all with the soldiers," Scorpius said, nodding.

-CD-

"I love being right," Lily said happily as she and Albus walked up from Quidditch practice together.

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"Didn't I tell you that you and Scorpius would be good friends?" she questioned.

"Yeah, I suppose you did," he said.

"And I was right, wasn't I?"

"Yeah…"

"I love being right," she said again, this time more simply. "I think you two are hilarious."

"And why, do you think, did James think the two of us would fail at this?" Albus wondered. He fished in his pants pocket, coming up with a letter that had arrived at breakfast. It was from James, short and to the point.

_Al,_

_ I don't know what you're doing, but I don't think you and Scorpius are the sort of people who can handle being friends. Let me know if you have a chance to Floo me anytime soon._

_ James_

"He's such a high and mighty prick," Lily said, passing the letter back to Albus. "He thinks he can control all of our lives, and he can't."

"I know," Albus said. And he also knew that there was more that James wanted to say, stuff he wouldn't write in the letter, in case someone else read it.

"Just tell him that," Lily said. "I think he ought to be told that a lot, honestly."

Albus shrugged. "He's James. He thinks he has some sort of older brother duty to look out for the both of us."

"Kind of like you have an older brother duty to look out for me?" Lily wondered.

"Exactly," Albus said. "Glad we've cleared that up."

"Yeah, but if you're going to do it, you can't complain about it," Lily informed him.

"You're pretty invested in the two of us, for a little sister," Albus said.

"I know," she said. "I just want you two to be happy. And sometimes I feel like I know what will make you happy better than you do. Like the fact that you would be good friends with Scorpius."

"Yeah, yeah," Albus said. "And you were right."

"The thing is," Lily said, "I didn't realize that the two of you would become like… practically best friends. Do you know what I mean? It's like all of a sudden… you're inseparable. You're always walking places together… I dunno, Albus. It's weird."

"What's weird about it? We're friends," Albus said.

"Albus, I have a question for you," Lily announced. Her voice was quiet and she tensed right up. She frowned at him.

"What?" he said, confused. He didn't like when Lily got tense. She was probably the least tense person he knew…

"I don't want you to be mad at me, though," she said, wriggling nervously under his gaze.

"I won't be mad at you," he said, even though he could definitely find ways to be mad at her if whatever she wondered was annoying. And it seemed like it might be…

"Albus… ugh… are you gay?" she wondered softly.

"Merlin, Lily, what an obnoxious question," he snapped. He looked at her. How did she know? He thought he hid it pretty well. How could she possibly know? He could feel the panic start to flood through his veins as his heart rate took off for the ceiling…

"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly, holding up her hands. "You said you wouldn't be mad!"

"I'm not mad," he said. "I just hope you know that's an obnoxious question."  
They were quiet for a moment. She still looked nervous. He was trying to cool off his blood pressure a little bit. Then she piped up again.

"Al, you didn't answer the question," she said.

He sighed. "Don't you think that's answer enough?" He looked away from her.

"Al…" she said. "Come on… I don't know what you mean."

He glanced over his shoulder and stopped, grabbing her arm to stop her. "Lily."

"Why don't you just tell me?" she demanded, sounding hurt. "I'm your sister and I love you. I will always love you, no matter what you do, no matter who you are."

He sighed, shaking his head at her. "How did you figure it out?"

"It's the way you look at Scorpius," she said. "I don't know. I just know you so well that I can read it. I wouldn't have known until I saw that… and then I started wondering. And it just sort of made sense. I don't think anyone else even suspects, Al."

He sighed. "Lily…"  
"Why did you keep it a secret from me?" she demanded. "Have you told Rose?"

He shook his head. "it's not time to tell people, Lils. I'm okay with it. I really am. It's just… I haven't told anyone but James. And now you."

"James knows?"

"James has known for almost two years now," Albus said.'

"Al…" she said. "You should have told me."

"Maybe I should have…" he said. "Are you sure other people don't realize it?"

"Rose might be clued in soon, if you keep looking at Malfoy the way you do," she warned.

"I don't look at him in any particular way," he defended himself.

"Yes you do," she said. "You look at him like you think he's attractive. Like you like him."

"I don't…" Albus said, pinkness seeping into his cheeks.

"Are you sure?" Lily questioned, looking up at him.

"I don't know, Lils," he said. "What difference does it make? It's not like anything could ever happen. He's straight. And even if he wasn't, this is the real world, so…"  
"Albus Potter, did I just hear you say 'this is the real world?'" she demanded.

"Yeah…?"  
"Albus, we have magic wands and broomsticks and potions and invisibility cloaks. To the majority of the world, it doesn't get less real than this," she said.

"It exists doesn't it?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said. "But it shouldn't."

He looked at her for a moment. "You're so weird."

"Albus, come on," she said. "I'm not saying anything other than… just… be careful. I love you. If you need someone to talk to… you have me. And Rose. Don't forget her, Al. She loves you. And so do Mum and Dad and James… and Andrew too."

"Lily, if everyone found out tomorrow that I was gay, it would change everything," he said, shaking his head. "I'm okay keeping it a secret. I don't want to. I really don't. But I have to assess the situation. I know there's going to be that perfect moment when I'll be bursting to tell the world. Until then, I'm going to just be okay."

She shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"I can't believe you guessed," he said. "I thought it was totally counterintuitive."

"It is," she said. "But Albus, I know you better than a lot of people. You're my brother."


	15. Finishing Sentences

**Chapter 15: Finishing Sentences**

Albus knocked lightly on the door and Professor Longbottom pulled it open.

"Hi Professor," Albus said brightly.

"Albus," the Professor replied. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Albus said. "I was wondering if I could possibly use your fireplace."  
"My fireplace?" Professor Longbottom said. "Of course, Albus. You know it's always open to you. And I was just about to head up to get some lunch."

Albus grinned. It was easy. For one thing, Professor Longbottom was a family friend. For another, Albus was his favorite.

"Thank you, Professor," Albus said, watching as Professor Longbottom closed the door behind himself. Albus walked over to the fireplace and pulling a handful of Floo Powder out of a flower pot on the mantle. He knelt down carefully and cleared his throat, spouting James' address as he tossed the powder into the flames.

James was sitting at the kitchen table of the house he lived in with a friend from school. It was temporary, until they both had their own money to get by. He and Albus had already planned the conversation, so of course, he was not surprised when his younger brother's head poked through the fireplace.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Albus replied.

"So…" James said. "You're friends with Scorpius?"

"Hey," Albus said. "Don't sound so weird. I think I should be asking the same question to you, you know. How long have you been friends with him?"

"Since my sixth year," James said. "Not a big deal. I'm more concerned about the two of you…"  
"What is there to be concerned about?" Albus demanded.

"I don't think you two can handle being friends with each other. You're too different. And too similar," James contemplated.

"Oh come on…" Albus said. "We're doing just fine."

"Look… you're my brother. I don't want you to get hurt in all of this. And Scorpius is my friend. I don't want that for him either," James said.

"How are we going to get hurt?" Albus said. "We're just friends. We handled not being friends before, and we could handle it again if we had to, I assure you."

James shook his head. "No. Albus… you're going to like him."

"I already like him. He's a nice person," Albus said.

"No. I mean, _like _him," James said.

"Oh," Albus said. "Oh."

"And I don't want that," James said. He looked down at his hands, away from his brother. Albus frowned, shifting on his knees.

"What difference would it make?" Albus wondered.

"I don't know," James said. "I just don't like it."

"James," Albus said.

"Albus… you're my brother and I love you and all that… but that's just asking for trouble, okay? Liking Scorpius would ruin you."

"It would not," Albus said.

"Albus, trust me," James said, standing up. "I don't… no. it's just wrong."

"What's wrong with it?" Albus demanded.

James just shook his head, grimacing. Albus frowned, feeling himself slump a little at his brother's actions. He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to avoid the awkward air that had suddenly just taken over the small kitchen area.

"James," Albus said. "I'm confused. I get the feeling that you're saying… that…"

"Albus, please don't finish that sentence," James beseeched of him, shoving his hands in his pockets and focusing on the tile on the floor.

"James. Are you saying that being gay is wrong?" Albus wondered quietly, finding it impossible to look up at his big brother, one of his life's role models, one of the greatest people he ever knew.

"Albus, I asked you not to finish that sentence," James shouted, anger flaring up in his face. He looked away.

"I… I have to go…" Albus mumbled, watching as his older brother's shoulders began to shake.

-CD-

Scorpius walked into his usual room, armed with a bag full of homework. He was ready to get down to business and get some serious work done in the peace and quiet. But the room was not empty.

Albus Potter leaned against one of the walls, seated on the floor. His head was in his hands and his shoulders appeared to be shaking.

"Albus?" Scorpius questioned.

Albus immediately jumped to attention, spring up and clearing his throat.

"Hi," he said. His face was shiny, glistening with liquid, obviously tears. He wiped at them viciously and Scorpius new it was his job, as his friend, to look away out of respect. They could pretend that Scorpius hadn't seen that.

But Scorpius wasn't sure he could do that.

"Are you okay?" he asked kindly.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine," Albus said, laughing casually. He shrugged it off.

"No you're not," Scorpius said. He wasn't putting up with this. There was something inside of him that had to know if Albus was okay. Maybe it was because Albus was a genuine individual. Or it could have been that weird crushy feeling Scorpius was getting that he was choosing not to acknowledge. Either or, it didn't matter. Albus was still his friend, for no matter how brief a time.

"I just had a row with my brother," Albus said. "It's nothing."

"James can be a prick sometimes," Scorpius said.

"Tell me about it," Albus said. "I grew up with him. It's just… sometimes what he says actually hits a nerve. There are some things that I just… I get a little self-conscious about. And then…"

"And then your own brother points it out as a flaw…?" Scorpius wondered.

Albus nodded. He seemed too pained by that thought to even speak. He cleared his throat a little, but it was a higher pitch. As Scorpius watched, Albus turned abruptly away, not willing to meet his gaze.

"Albus…" Scorpius said. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"No, no," Albus said, clearing his throat again, trying to find a normal pitch. "It's fine. He meant it. That much was obvious. But… I just… you know… things were a little too good while they lasted I guess."

"What do you mean by that?" Scorpius asked, walking over and putting a hand on Albus' shoulder He turned him around so that they were face to face.

"I mean that… you can be perfectly content with your life for a while. But then your own brother ruins it," Albus scoffed, shaking his head.

"Al… he might be your brother, but you can't let him ruin anything," Scorpius said. "I don't think the world is aware of the fact that Albus Potter is capable of crying."

"I'm not crying," Albus snapped quickly, wrenching his shoulder out of Scorpius' grip.

"Yeah. And I'm not a Slytherin." Scorpius snorted. "Don't worry about it. Happens to the best of us."

"Yeah. Sure it does Mr. Stone Cold Stoic."

"Excuse me?" Scorpius said, laughing now. "I'm anything but. Now calm down would you? Your life is hardly over."

"He's my brother," Albus said. "I can't just ignore it."

"I'm not telling you to," Scorpius said. "I'm telling you that he has no right to ruin anything for you."

Scorpius laughed a little to himself. He was hardly the one to be giving this sort of advice. He relied so heavily on being in the positive opinion of people that he spooked at the thought of telling all of them he was gay. It made him cringe to ruin the image he had built up, to maybe be criticized and judged until he was no longer painted in the light he had worked so hard to attain.

He hardly knew Albus. But he knew where he was coming from. They were very different people, but very alike in the same right.

"Now come on," Scorpius said. "Relax a little. Take a deep breath. He'll figure himself out soon enough. Do you need to figure yourself out?"

"No," Albus said.

"I didn't think so," Scorpius said. It took him a moment to realize it, but then it hit him. He was flirting. He had that tone in his voice. He never really used it much, which was why he was shocked to find it there. It never came out, there was never really an opportunity. Except… here it was. He was flirting.

As much as he wanted to hit himself upside the head and drag himself back to his senses, he wasn't quite sure if he could stop himself—or if he wanted to. Because in the sick and twisted world he inhabited, Albus Potter was flirting back.

Albus sighed, leaning against the wall and sliding down to settle on the floor. He shook his head.

"Do you think it's weird?" he asked.

Scorpius sat down next to him. "Do I think what's weird?"

"How we're friends?" Albus said. "I mean, all of a sudden."

"Um…" Scorpius said. "Yeah, a little. I mean… one minute you were screaming at me that you didn't trust me and the next… well here we are."

"I know," Albus said. "But it just feels natural."

"Even though a Potter being friends with a Malfoy seems like it ought to be so unnatural." Scorpius chuckled, shaking his head. "I mean… weird as it is, it's what we've got."

"That is true," Albus said. "It doesn't make any sense. But it's almost better that way. I like friendships you don't really have to work hard at."

"I wish all life's relationships were like that," Scorpius said. "Life would be so much easier, don't you think?"

"If everything was effortless?" Albus said. "I think I'd have been in about twenty relationships at this point."

Scorpius nodded. "Me too… But alas, life is not effortless."

"Quite the opposite," Albus agreed. He grinned.

Scorpius sighed a little, shaking his head.

"So are you ready for your Quidditch match?" Scorpius wondered.

"This weekend?" Albus said. "Yeah, I'm ready. The rest of the team is pretty good. I don't know. I think we'll beat Hufflepuff."

"I would assume so," Scorpius said. "They're not bad—I'd say they're better than Ravenclaw… but don't quote me on that. I'm just a novice."  
"No, I agree," Albus said. "I think they're better than Ravenclaw. But their team isn't very different from last year—they lost a single Chaser between then and now… so it should be interesting."

"Still… I think it's time we break this Gryffindor monopoly on both the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup."

"When you have Rose and me as prefects, there was no way Gryffindor was losing the House Cup," Albus said.

"Just the same. It's starting to wear on the rest of us," Scorpius said, grinning.

"Too bad," Albus said. "I can't speak for the Quidditch Cup, but that House Cup is ours, whether people like it or not. We've won it the past six years. I'm making it a round seven."

"The worst part is, as Head Boy, I'm pretty sure you can take points from whoever you want," Scorpius accused.

"Yes, but I would never," Albus said, grinning wickedly.

"Ha. Yeah right," Scorpius said, laughing at him.

"Hey…" Albus said. "A little faith, please. I'm not an abuser of power, I swear."

"If you say so," Scorpius said. Albus laughed for a moment, shaking his head.

"Thanks for cheering me up, Scorp," he said.

"Scorp?" Scorpius echoed. "Oh boy. We must be friends now."

Albus shrugged. "I guess we are. Crazy as that might seem."

"Oh it definitely seems crazy to me," Scorpius assured him. "You're a bloody goody-goody and I'm just… not."

"When I was a first year I had detention every other week," Albus said. "I'm not a 'bloody goody-goody.'"

"I had a detention _every _week," Scorpius said. "It comes from sneaking out of bed at late hours almost every night. As a first year, I was bound to get caught."

"Yes, you were," Albus said. "I never got caught doing that. I was just cheeky or late all the time. Not that I don't sneak out."

"It was literally every night for me," Scorpius said.

"I know the feeling," Albus said.

Scorpius shrugged. "But that's life. You do what you have to do—whether it's wrong or not."


	16. The Stained Glass Window

**Chapter 16: The Stained Glass Window**

Scorpius settled in the stands with Maggie. She was armed with her omnioculars and a notepad. She took her Quidditch very seriously and she was determined to take diligent notes on the competition, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.

The stands were bathed in a mass of scarlet and gold, with brilliant yellow dominating mostly in the Hufflepuff section. The Slytherin stands were being supportive of the Slytherin team, even though, obviously, not a single Slytherin was mounting a broom that day. Pinned above his green and silver prefect's badge, Scorpius had a Gryffindor pin. Support for his friends, Albus and Lily, mostly. Even though they were, in fact, the competition.

"Welcome, welcome to the first Quidditch game of the season, Gryffindor, versus Hufflepuff!" Announcer, Bianca Jordan said brightly. "Just a reminder to all those who are wondering, Gryffindor is captained by fifth year and Chaser Lily Potter, and Hufflepuff by seventh year Keeper Wyatt Davies.

"Madam Jynx is now instructing the captains to shake hands, and of course Davies is attempting to break Potter's off or crush her bones into powder, thus rendering her incapable of Chasing. However, the young Potter—and the youngest captain in the school—seems to be holding her own quite well. I suppose, better luck next time, Davies.

"And Madam Jynx releases the Bludgers… and the Golden Snitch. And with the release of the Quaffle, the game begins! Andrew Wood of Gryffindor immediately takes possession of the Quaffle. Wood passes to Potter—interestingly enough, his girlfriend—and Potter shoots off for the goal posts. She dodges a Bludger shot by Kirk Lesselle. With that she shoots on Keeper Broswick and… it's ten points to Gryffindor!"

The stands erupted into cheers, of course, with the most obnoxious roars coming from those clad in gold and scarlet.

"Well… this is going well for Hufflepuff," Maggie commented.

"Always knew it would," Scorpius said. But he wasn't so concerned with the Chasers. He was more concerned with the Seeker. The Gryffindor Seeker to be exact. Albus was swooping across the pitch in perfect form, gripping his broomstick handle with agility and finesse. He ducked around the other players, dodged bludgers with ease. Maybe he wasn't intending to go into professional Quidditch, but he sure looked at home on a broomstick.

Honestly, the only person who looked more at home than Albus was Lily who looked like she was much more comfortable flying than she could ever be walking. She made everything look completely effortless.

But of course, as mesmerizing as she was to watch, simply by her grace, Scorpius found himself twice as mesmerized by her older brother. He simply stared at Albus, following him with his eyes. He was bent low on his broom, the muscles of his back almost showing through his Quidditch robes.

"Lily Potter is certainly on her game today. She has scored all of Gryffindor's forty points, leaving Hufflepuff in the dust at zero. Hufflepuff Chaser MacMillan dodges a Bludger sent by Fred Weasley and streaks off toward Rose Weasley, who is quite obviously ready for him at the Gryffindor goal posts. MacMillan shoots…. And the shot is blocked effortlessly by Rose Weasley.

"She returns the Quaffle to Gryffindor Chaser, Janine Fitzsimmons, who, blocked by a Bludger, passes it Andrew Wood. Wood narrowly avoids colliding with his own teammate, Terry Peakes, who is brandishing his bat a little too fervently."

"Peakes, I swear to Merlin, if you don't have better control of that thing, I will beat you with it later!" everyone in the stands heard Lily shriek at him.

Scorpius trained his eyes on Albus who was chuckling obviously. He was such a good-looking individual. Scorpius practically sighed in longing. Sure they were friends, but a guy could dream. A broomstick could make any boy's arse look good to Scorpius. Almost any boy's.

He smiled to himself, watching the game progress. Gryffindor was obviously the more advanced team. They were up seventy to ten before a half hour had progressed. Lily Potter wasn't so much a Quaffle hog as she was always in the perfect spot at the perfect time. And Rose Weasley was a fantastic Keeper. She turned from innocent, respectable Head Girl to a hardcore, verbally violent individual.

"Potter passes the Quaffle to Wood, who lobs it to Fitzsimmons in a scared attempt to avoid getting knocked out by a Bludger. Fitzsimmons ducks under Albus Potter, and gives a perfectly curved toss back to Lily Potter who again streaks for the goal. That girl is on fire today. She's always on fire. She is the only member of the Gryffindor team to play for all of her years at Hogwarts—and she scores again! Ten more points to Gryffindor. As Hufflepuff takes back possession of the Quaffle, the score is brought to eighty-ten in favor of Gryffindor."

"We are so fucked," Maggie mumbled to herself.

"No we're not," Scorpius said. "Lily's a good Chaser, you're a good Chaser. She might be better than you, but Chasing doesn't win a Quidditch match."

Maggie looked at him. "It can. But you're right. Seeking is more important. So… this officially rests on your shoulders."

Scorpius frowned. "Do you honestly think that I can out-Seek someone who has been playing since he was a second year?"

"Oh he's been playing Quidditch way longer than that, I'm sure, just not for Gryffindor. Besides that though, I feel like you should have been playing since your second year. You're good. You can do it if you try. I just don't know if you're going to put forth the necessary effort."  
"You put me on the team," he informed her.

"I know I did," she said. "Believe me. I know I did."

-CD-

Albus clinked his butterbeer bottle against Lily's, laughing as the common room roared around them.

"Five hundred to one hundred," she said, yawning. "That was a long game." They had played for over two hours but they'd had a hundred points in the first forty-five minutes.  
"That, my dear sister, was completely intentional," Albus said.

"What?" Lily looked up at him, hands on her hips.

"I saw the Snitch twice before I went after it," Albus said.

"Excuse me?" she demanded, staring at him.

"The Hufflepuff Seeker never saw it," Albus said. "And I knew that. So I just let it go. I knew we weren't going to lose. And that I could beat him even if he saw it first. I just wanted to secure our spot in the lead for the overall school."

Lily frowned for a moment. "I'm not sure if I should be furious with you or pleased… Ah well. We won."

"That we did," he said, grinning at her. "And I did catch the Snitch."

"Yeah, you did," she said, laughing.

"Hey…" Andrew came up behind her and put his arms around her. Albus frowned for a moment, and Lily looked up at him, her eyes begging for approval. He just shrugged and gave them both a wan smile.

"Don't upset me," he told them, laughing and walking away.

Albus really liked Quidditch parties, but he did have a bit of a headache. He figured a nice walk around the castle would calm his brain down a little bit. Armed with butterbeer, he headed out the portrait hole and into the corridors.

"I was hoping you would come out," the voice echoed from down the hallway.

Scorpius Malfoy was sitting patiently on a bench, admiring a portrait.

"What are you doing here?" Albus wondered.

"Hoping you would emerge," Scorpius said. "I never did get to congratulate you."

"Thanks," Albus said.

"That was a long game," Scorpius said.

"Oh I know," Albus said. "That was intentional."

Scorpius raised a questioning eyebrow but said nothing.

"So why aren't you in the tower partying wildly?" Scorpius wondered.

Albus shrugged. "Got a bit of a headache."

"That's too bad," Scorpius said.

Albus shrugged again. "Not really."

"Where are you headed then?" Scorpius wondered, yawning.

"No idea," Albus said.

"Well, would you like company on your way to no idea?" Scorpius questioned.

"Sure," Albus said. "Why not?"

"So…" Scorpius said. "Your sister plays Quidditch like a maniac."  
"I know," Albus said. "She always has. You know, Pride of Portree is probably going to have her start playing with their reserve team next year. And there are a couple others."

"That's not even normal," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"Lily's the special Potter," Albus said. "She's the one that does the amazing stuff. James and I are simply second rate."

Thinking of James made Albus cringe. They hadn't spoken or written each other since that last conversation. He tried to shove it from his mind.

"Obviously," Scorpius said, this time laughing. "I would never believe that, you know."

"You ought to," Albus said. "We're just never living up to the world's standards. They're going to make some sort of addendum in our father's biographies about how James and I are failures and then how Lily is such a golden child."

"James went into International Cooperation, right?" Scorpius said.

"Yeah, he works for Uncle Percy right now," Albus said. "Sounds pretty boring to me."

"And you want to be an auror?" Scorpius questioned. "Well… I don't see how you two can be failures…"

Albus shrugged. "We just never do anything exciting. What do you want to do with your life?"  
"Curse breaking," Scorpius said.

"Really? That's cool," Albus said. "My Uncle did that one…"

"Is there something that one of your family members hasn't done?" Scorpius wondered.

"Uh…" Albus said. "None of them have been Minister of Magic?"  
Scorpius laughed. "That's clearly just a matter of time…"

"Obviously," Albus said. "It'll probably be Uncle Percy or something…" He shuddered at the thought. He sipped his butterbeer thoughtfully.

"You all played really well today," Scorpius said. "Not a single team is going to be able to give you guys a run for your money. Not even us, and we have Maggie. It's your sister. She's crazy good."

"As we all know," Albus said. "I could've caught the Snitch twice before I actually did. I just wanted to see how high we could jack up the points first."

"Wow," Scorpius said. "Poor Hufflepuff."

"Agreed," Albus said. "Ah well. There's no rule that says I have to catch the Snitch when I see it."

"I'll bear that in mind for when we play each other," Scorpius said. "Because if you're not going to catch it, I definitely will."

"Good luck beating me," Albus said, laughing. "I may not be a star, but I'm still good."

"I know you are," Scorpius said. "But you've never seen me play. I might just be a star."

Albus shrugged. "Maybe. I doubt it."

"Such a kind soul," Scorpius said.

"I try." Albus halted by a stained glass window. The panes of colored glass were dark, not lit up by any external source. But Albus was distracted. In the picture of the window—he could swear he had never seen it before, not even once in six years—was of two men, arms wrapped around each other. He shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius wondered.

"It's weird image…" Albus said.

Scorpius looked up at it, clearing his throat. He looked at the ground then, awkwardly.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Longbottom said, walking by cheerfully. "Good evening to both of you!"

"Professor…" Albus said.

"Yes?"

"What is this stained glass…. Is it new?" Albus questioned.

"No, it's been here for some time," Professor Longbottom said. "A picture of a family. Strange, isn't it? A mother, a father and a son…"

"That's not what I see…" Scorpius said.

"Me either," Albus said.

Professor Longbottom contemplated the window for a moment. "Well boys, it's not as if I have to tell you that you're in magic school."

He walked away, leaving Albus and Scorpius standing there, looking at the window.

"What do you see?" Scorpius asked Albus.

"Just… a different picture," Albus said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "Me too…"

"Do you think…?" Albus looked for a minute. "Did you ever hear about the Mirror of Erised?"  
"Yeah," Scorpius said. "It's in one of the biographies about your dad… And one of the biographies about Voldemort too…"

"Yeah…" Albus said. "I'm just thinking…"


	17. The Surefire Way

**Chapter 17: The Surefire Way**

"Honesty," Scorpius said.

"No, trust," Albus said.

"You two are such girls," Rose complained.

Maggie frowned at both of them. "I was thinking… sex appeal."

"Well Henry certainly has sex appeal," Rose said thoughtfully.

"Are you two seriously saying that the best quality of a relationship is sex appeal?" Scorpius said.

"As if you can talk, Mr. 'I'll shag it if it breathes.'" Maggie sighed and put her chin in her hands.

"Ah, but I have never had a relationship," Scorpius sad.

"Pig," Rose declared.

"I do try," Scorpius informed her, laughing.

"Are you staying with Henry because he has sex appeal?" Rose questioned Maggie.

"I dunno. I like him as a person too," Maggie said. "Somewhat."

"Somewhat," Albus echoed. "Girls are insane."

"You know nothing about relationships, Al," Rose snapped.

"I know," Albus said. "But I know that they should be based on honesty."

"And trust," Scorpius continued.

"You two have no idea what you're talking about," Maggie informed them. Rose nodded her agreement.

"How are you two friends?" Scorpius demanded, looking at the two girls in annoyance. "This doesn't even make sense! One minute you both just hate each other… and now it's like you're best friends."

"It's a girl thing," Rose said. "You two wouldn't understand."

"And I wouldn't talk," Maggie said. "Since when are you two friends? _That_ doesn't make sense. But you're best mates now."

"It's a guy thing," Albus said.

"You two wouldn't understand," Scorpius finished.

The two girls rolled their eyes at them. As a quartet, they were seated in the Great Hall after dinner, at the end of the Slytherin table. People were lounging around, laughing and talking, mostly sixth and seventh years.

"Come on, Scorpius," Albus said. "We are clearly not welcome here."

"Women," Scorpius complained, standing up. He and Albus walked away from the table. "I could do without women."

"So could I," Albus said. Scorpius looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. They were quiet then, neither one speaking.

"I mean that, you know," Albus said suddenly, looking away from Scorpius.

"What? What do you mean?" Scorpius questioned.

"I mean, I'm not interested in women," Albus said. He shifted uncomfortably as Scorpius watched him.

"I'm confused," Scorpius said, even though he was pretty sure he wasn't.

"I'm gay," Albus said. He cleared his throat.

Scorpius stared at him for a moment. He didn't quite know how to react. Maybe he was supposed to see this as a good thing, because it certainly _could _be seen that way. If he let himself. But he knew he wasn't going to let himself. At this age, in a place like Hogwarts, this news, while welcome and pleasant, was not something he could acknowledge with his own. People weren't okay with it, and Scorpius wasn't going to give them a reason to turn him into a target.

He could take this a thousand ways. But he only could choose one. And Scorpius knew himself. He didn't even think about it. His mouth simply opened.

"Oh," he said.

"Yeah," Albus said.

"Well that's interesting," he said. And then he walked away.

-CD-

Albus wanted to kick himself. If only that were possible. He leaned against the wall somewhere on the fourth floor. He was sitting on the stone floor, letting the coolness calm him down a little. He should write a book on how to ruin a friendship before it even begins. It would be very accurate. Honestly, just tell the bloke you're gay! Surefire.

The look on Scorpius' face had said everything. He was absolutely repulsed by Albus. So much so he couldn't even look at him. It was crazy. Some strange part of Albus had thought that it would be okay, that Scorpius would understand what he had to say…

He was wrong, it seemed. Very much mistaken. Albus frowned to himself. He had been so foolish. And now… he had given Scorpius Malfoy a good deal of ammunition on him. It made him physically sick to his stomach.

Albus leaned his head back on the stone wall, and some bit of him desperately wanted to cry.

-CD-

Scorpius figured that he was basically the worst person in the world. But there was a problem in front of him, and in the end, there was one thing he was good at in life: running away from his problems.

The problem with Albus being gay was nothing that Albus had done. Maybe Scorpius was surprised about it, but he didn't have time to dwell on shock. The problem came in the form of the weird, intense feelings Scorpius had already been having for Albus. If Scorpius gave himself a shred of hope, things were going to get screwed up quickly. First of all, there was no way, even if a relationship could happen between the two of them, there was no chance it would survive in the Hogwarts setting. Especially since Scorpius wasn't ready to tell _anyone. _Except maybe Albus at this point… which was odd.

But things were going to get complicated if he let himself do that. Because in the end, despite the fact they were both gay, there was nothing that guaranteed that Scorpius was Albus' type.

This was basically the sort of thing that guaranteed Scorpius would have a crisis of sorts. And he didn't do well in crisis. If he was being perfectly honest, he was screwed up. Screwed up big time.

-CD-

"What's wrong?" Rose demanded.

"Leave me alone," Albus beseeched.

"Something's wrong," Rose said. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," he said. "Rose, please."  
"No," she said. "You tell me everything. What aren't you telling me?"

"I do not tell you everything," he snapped. Her expression informed him instantly that those words stung her a little bit.

"Really?" she questioned. "I tell you everything."

"I have to handle this on my own," Albus said.

"Actually, there's nothing you have to handle on your own. Ever," she said. "Not when you've got me."  
Albus shook his head at her. "If I promise I'll tell you eventually, can you trust me that right now I just can't tell you?"

She sighed. "Albus… you can always tell me stuff."

"I know that," he said. "And I thank you. I don't deserve a cousin and best friend like you. But I just…. I can't share this right now, Rose. It's too complicated."  
"Does it involve Scorpius?"

"How did you guess?" he wondered.

"Because," she said. "There's nothing else to mess up your life other than him at this point."

Albus frowned at her. "How would he mess up my life?"

She shrugged. "You never know."

"No, I guess not," he said. "I'd say I'm pretty confused."  
-CD-

Scorpius found himself sprawled on the floor of the prefect's bathroom. The cool tile was under his bare back, the sound of the water flooding into the pool of a tub was soothing to his ears. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. It was as if his blood pressure had gone up so high in the last few hours that it was going to break through his arteries at any moment.

He had himself under physical control. He had a rule right now. He was not allowed to move until he had himself under mental control too. He kept his arms out to his sides, hands clenched into careful fists, his wand a good ways away, well out of his reach. He kept his legs straight, together. It was a human cross, its function to keep him still and safe.

This had become a habit of his sometime back in his sixth year. If he could calm himself down physically, it at least meant that things wouldn't be as bad. But the crisis was here. He could feel it in his heart. Because he didn't know what to do.

He only felt like a prick.

Or… well… he also felt like he was dreaming. Never in his imaginings did he think another bloke at Hogwarts would be gay, willing to say it to him… and attractive. There had been Max, of course, but that seemed so different. Max wasn't Albus Potter. Max was just gay, that was just a fact. Albus Potter being gay hit him with the same force delivered by the bust of Hester the Haughty that Peeves liked to drop in the Entrance Hall in his spare time.

It just didn't make sense. And in some ways… it made a lot of sense. But Scorpius didn't know how to proceed. He was, for lack of any better word, distraught by these findings. Because he just had this image of what could happen and how everything could simply go horribly wrong.

He felt so sick. But he wasn't going to let himself move. If he let himself move, there was no telling what he would do. Instead, he just had to let his head run rampant until it calmed itself down enough to make it okay to move his body.

-CD-

Albus looked up at Lily.

"What?" she demanded.

"What day of the week is it?" he asked.

"Thursday," she declared, yawning delicately as she dipped her quill back into her ink.

"Wow," he said.

"What?" she questioned.

"I haven't spoken to Malfoy since Monday," he said simply, shrugging.

Lily frowned. "What happened between you two?"

Albus shrugged.

"Well… you can't tell me you don't know," she said. "You two can't even look at each other."  
"It's just life, Lily," Albus said.

"Neither of you will tell me anything," Lily complained. "He's being all secretive too…"

"Sorry?" Albus said. "It's just personal."

"It's just life, it's just personal," Lily said. "Well… you two will work through it."  
"I don't think so," Albus said. "See… Scorpius and I haven't been friends long enough to making working through it really necessary."

"Are you telling me, then, that your life isn't any worse without him in it?" Lily said. "Because I haven't known him very long either, but he's so funny and entertaining and nice that life would be a little less amusing without him, at least."

"Look…" Albus said. "It'll be fine, Lily. Scorpius and I are grown-ups. We can figure it out."

"Grown-ups," she echoed. Then she snorted. "Okay."

"We are. In all technicality," Albus defended himself.

"But you're not really," she said. "He can't keep his dick in his pants, and you… well you're you, Albus. You two might be able to apparate, but that means nothing."

"Hey…" Albus said. "Ouch."

"Al, does this have anything to do with you being gay?" she wondered.

"Lily, keep your voice down," he snapped. They were, after all, in the middle of the common room.

"I'm just asking!"

"Lily, it's none of your business. I said we'll figure it out, and we'll figure it out. If that means not being friends, then I think we're going to have to deal with that."

"You shouldn't resign yourself to defeat," she declared.

"And you shouldn't nose into my business," Albus informed her.

"You're my brother," she said. "I _love _nosing into your business."  
"I've noticed," Albus said, shaking his head. "Nose out, Lily, would you?"

"Relax," she said. "I'm not meddling. I won't try to fix anything. I just want to know what's going on so I don't mess anything up."

"I'm not going to tell you what's going on, so you can stop prying," he informed her.

"Oh come on," she said. "You're so annoying. And so secretive. There's no reason to be."

"I have my own reasons, Lily," he said.


	18. Reason Number One

_**A/N: I want to apologize for the little slip up. Here is the real chapter 18!**_

**Chapter 18: Reason Number One**

"I don't really understand you," Max informed Scorpius.

"What is there to understand?" Scorpius asked, tracing the prominent wood grain on Max's kitchen table.

"I don't understand how you have this perfectly genuine individual in a boat almost exactly like yours, and you just act like a prick to him," Max said. "He's a friend, either way. No matter if you have more feelings for him or he has more feelings for you—if you both have more feelings for each other, that's great. You should stop being so afraid of everything."

"I was raised to be afraid," Scorpius said.

"Your parents, of all people, taught you no such thing," Max said.

"No, my parents taught me nothing," Scorpius said. "I learned that in other ways. The fucking world screwed me up."

"Oh Merlin, Scorpius. Are we going to go with the whole 'the world hates me' bit?" Max demanded.

"No the world hates all Malfoys," Scorpius said.

"You're driving me nuts. You have a decent friendship with this bloke, and you could, if you gave it a shot, have a decent relationship with him, but you run scared because something might just work out for you."

"Who would I want to bring myself upon?" Scorpius wondered. "Which person do you think deserves to put up with the shit that I can deliver?"

"I put up with it," Max said. "And I'm not even romantically involved with you…"  
Scorpius snorted.

"And some person in this world would love to deal with your problems with you," Max said. "That's how Albert and I work… you know…."

"Is it fair of me to bring the shit I've got going for me and dump it on someone else?"

"It's only fair if they want to talk about your life with you," Max said. "And I'm not saying you even have to do that. I'm saying you can be friends with Potter. But you don't need to be a prick to him. Which… by walking away from that conversation, you're basically saying you hate gays. Which is obviously false. But you're being those people you worry about. At least in his head, you're being that way."

Scorpius sighed. "I know I am…"

"And do you want to be that person?" Max questioned.

"No," Scorpius said.

"And so what real conclusion can you honestly make here?" Max wondered.

"I should apologize," Scorpius said.

"Good job," Max said. "Merlin, I swear sometimes you're like a four-year-old."

"Thanks," Scorpius said.

"But then I remember I've shagged you, and I try to push that thought from my mind," Max said brightly. "Are you staying for dinner? Or will they notice you're gone?"

"I might as well stay. I'll say I'm sick if anyone questions it," Scorpius said.

"Some safe school," Max said, chuckling. "Albert will be here soon. He knows about you, so don't feel like you have to hide the extent of our relationship. Or what it used to be."

"Okay," Scorpius said, nodding.

Max got up and yawned, checking some of the food on the stove. When there was a knock on the door, he headed to the front of his apartment to open it.

Albert was tall, thin, almost built like Scorpius. His hair was dark brown, long and held in a tight ponytail, and he had a wide grin on his face. Despite the tough look, he had an air about them—a sort of air Scorpius could detect. Of course, it took a gay to know a gay, perhaps.

"Hey," he said, giving Max a sloppy kiss on the lips.

"Hey," Max said. "Albert, there is someone I'd like you to meet. Albert, this is Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius, this is Albert."

"Nice to meet you," Scorpius said, offering out his hand.

"You too," Albert said. "Max has told me a lot about you."

"Only the good things, I hope," Scorpius said, smiling a little.

"Mostly," Albert said, laughing. "Are you joining us for dinner?"

"I hope that's alright," Scorpius said.

"The more the merrier," Albert said. "What brings you here? Aren't you in school?"

"I needed some advice," Scorpius said.

"Boy troubles?" Albert assumed, sitting down at the table.

"In a sense," Scorpius said. "A good friend of mine just admitted to me that he's gay…"  
"A bloke he fancies, mind you," Max pointed out from where he was stirring a pot on the stove.

"Really?" Albert said. "Wow. Sounds rough."  
"No it is," Scorpius said. "I'm… I kind of walked away from him when he told me. I didn't really say anything. I just walked away."

"And why would you do something as idiotic as that?" Albert wondered.

"Just what I was wondering, actually," Max said.

"Because I'm just not ready to tell people—anyone—that I'm gay, or to try anything…" Scorpius mumbled.

"No one said you had to do either of those things. But you ought to be a bloody friend to that bloke," Albert said.

"I know," Scorpius said. "It just worries me."

"You worry too much," Max informed him. "Hate to break it to you, but you need to just relax. Life will be okay. People in Hogwarts didn't mess with me. I doubt they'll mess with you. Or Albus Potter."

"Potter?" Albert echoed. "As in… Harry Potter?"

"As in his son," Max said. "But keep your trap shut about that, no one really knows other than, it would seem, Scorpius."

"I wouldn't say anything," Albert said. "It's not my secret to tell."

"I don't really know what to do about it," Scorpius said. "I don't know how to go about this…"

"Don't you?" Max said. "Isn't it pretty obvious?"

"No…" Scorpius said.

"You're hopeless," Max said. "Absolutely hopeless. How are you so lost in that brilliant head of yours, Scorpius? Shagging girls and hating yourself and hurting other people. You're better than all of that—smarter than all of that too, I promise you."

Scorpius just shook his head. "You say that. I don't believe you."

Max frowned at him. "And that's exactly what I'm talking about."  
-CD-

"Hey, hey Potter." Albus turned at the sound of his voice, startled to see Scorpius Malfoy standing amidst the post-dinner crowd. He waved his hand over his head when Albus saw him, confirming that it wasn't just a figment of Albus' imagination.

"What do you want?" Albus asked coolly, pushing through the crowd to meet up with someone he was foolish enough to have thought could have been his friend.

"I need to talk to you," Scorpius said.

Albus frowned at him. "Fine. Talk."

"Maybe we ought to have this conversation in private…" Scorpius suggested.

Albus shrugged. "If you think that's necessary."

He was pretty sure he had already gotten the message. When someone walks away, right after you tell them you're gay, it's pretty clear what they're thinking. Scorpius was obviously not okay with this. Just like James maybe. Not okay with it.

Scorpius pushed open the door to the trophy room.

"Hominem revelio," he muttered. Albus rolled his eyes. Malfoy then turned to face him, shoving his hands in the pockets of his uniform pants. He looked, Albus had to admit, humble. His shirt was untucked, hanging out underneath his gray sweater, and his green and silver tie was hanging loosely around his neck. He looked casual, attractive, but he was staring at the ground, shamefaced.

"What's up?" Albus wondered, the cool, accusatory tone still running through his voice.

Malfoy looked up at him. "I just have some stuff I need to say."

Albus noted it again. That amazing timbre of Scorpius' voice. Why was it always so clear at the moments of tension, of vulnerability on everyone's behalf? It was distracting!

"Then say it," Albus said, finding his resolve cracking a little.

Scorpius nodded. "I'm sorry I walked away from you the other day—I'm sorry I've been avoiding you ever since. That was wrong of me, and I fear it gave you the wrong idea…"

"What wrong idea would that be?" Albus asked, even though he was certain he already knew.

"The wrong idea that I'm not okay with this… with who you are… d'you know what I mean?"

Albus nodded now. "Of course I know what you mean. And of course that's what I thought. I believe strongly, now, that you obviously are not okay with blokes—your friends—being gay, and that you can't really tolerate to be around me because you think I'm attracted to you or something foolish like that."

"That is foolish," Scorpius said. "And that's not that case. Albus… what you said freaked me out a little, but it's not because I'm not okay with this… it's not because I don't want to be your friend…"

"Then what could it possibly be?" Albus demanded.

"I—I can't tell you," Scorpius stammered, looking back at the floor. For the first time ever, Albus thought he looked quite small, quite weak. People didn't ever get that impression from Scorpius Malfoy, who walked around with a gaze that could kill if it so chose, an air of dominance and menace…

"Why not?" Albus said.

"Because I can't tell anybody," Scorpius said. "I've never been able to… I feel like I should… but I can't. I'm too afraid."  
"Does Maggie know?" Albus wondered.

"Not unless she's guessed," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"Does either of my siblings know?"

"No," Scorpius. "Unless they have guessed it."

Albus frowned. It was crazy, but he was pretty sure he had it figured out at that moment. He looked at Scorpius a little while longer, contemplating the possibility for a moment. He clicked his tongue a couple of times, and Scorpius looked up at him, a questioning look in his silver eyes.

"What?" he questioned after a moment of examining him too.

"Give me a moment," Albus said, holding up a finger. He had to think this through. Before he offended Malfoy, that is. He wanted to be careful about how he said this…

"Okay…?"

"You're gay," Albus said. And then he started laughing. He knew it was wrong—he knew it was anything but funny, of course, especially judging how nervous and embarrassed and scared Scorpius seemed to be. But the idea of it was so ludicrous—Scorpius Malfoy, gay! It was like saying Scorpius Malfoy, Gryffindor! It just didn't make sense.

Well, actually, the gay thing made a great deal of sense. In fact, it cleared up a lot.

"What—no!" Scorpius mumbled, jumping back in shock. He looked at Albus as if he were staring at a crazy man, fear striking his pointed features.

Albus sobered instantly. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong," Scorpius practically shouted. But his eyes said everything, and his hands fell limp at his sides, shoulders drooping.

"I'm not wrong," Albus determined.

"No, you're not wrong," Scorpius admitted, his voice dropping to a soft whisper.

"I didn't think so," Albus said.

"Merlin…I feel sick," Scorpius mumbled, sinking to the floor, leaning against a trophy case.

"There's no reason to," Albus said. "Have you really told no one?"

"Do you remember Max Wylie?" Scorpius wondered.

"Yeah," Albus said, thinking back through his time at Hogwarts.

"He's the only one who knows," Scorpius said. "Him and his boyfriend, I mean."

"Wow," Albus said, sitting down on the floor too. He looked at his friend. "You shouldn't keep stuff like this a secret."

"I have to," Scorpius said, shaking his head. "I can't handle things any other way. I can't even handle them as they are. That's why I walked away from you. I can't handle stuff like this…"

"Are you ashamed?" Albus wondered.

Scorpius swallowed. "I don't know what I am. I'm not happy."

"Well that sort of sucks," Albus said.

"And I'm just screwed up," Scorpius said.

"How so?" Albus questioned.

"In a million ways," Scorpius said.

"That's a lot of ways," Albus mused.

"It is," Scorpius said.

"Why don't we start with number one?" Albus suggested.

"I already told you number one."


	19. Chocolate in the Library

_**A/N: Hey so I decided to update again today- When I uploaded 18 this morning, I accidentally uploaded 17 again. I'm facepalming, I promise. I remedied that, so it should be right now. I want to apologize for that by giving you all chapter 19 in the same day. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 19: Chocolate in the Library**

Scorpius looked up at Albus. Albus looked up at Scorpius. Neither of them said anything. They were sitting in the back of the library, in the bowels of the Restricted Section.

"We've been here a while," Albus commented. The white light from outside beamed in through the window, casting a beam of light on the two of them.

"Yeah…" Scorpius said.

"So… we came here to talk, but we're just sitting here," Albus said.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius muttered. He was having a hard time. The fact that someone else knew his deepest secret was freaking him out a little. But Albus was determined to talk to him about it. Because they were the only two people that could possibly understand each other.

"No, it's okay," Albus said. "I'm pretty much content with my life. It's you that didn't really seem to be…"

"It's not because I'm gay that I have issues, you know," Scorpius said. "I had them long before I figured that out…"

"So what?" Albus said. "It's not like I'm judging."

"Why do you care so much?" Scorpius demanded.

"Because… I'm a really good listener," Albus said. "And I'd kind of like to be friends with you. And I'm pretty good to my friends."

Scorpius frowned. "You're weird."  
"I do my best," Albus said, shrugging. "You're pretty weird too, you know."

"I do my best," Scorpius said, raising his eyebrows sharply.

"Right…" Albus said. "So… I think I want a tattoo."

"Are you saying you _think_ you want me to give you one?" Scorpius questioned.

"Yeah… I think," Albus said.

"Well you're out of luck," Scorpius said. "I'm not giving a tattoo to someone who only thinks he wants one."

Albus frowned. "So you do have a soul."

"Somewhere in here," Scorpius said, slapping his hand on his chest. "I'm fairly certain it kind of resembles a black spiraling hole of doom."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Fair enough."

"Let me know when you really want one," Scorpius said. "It's not that hard to do."

"Yeah, but very few people know how to do it," Albus said. "Don't you have to practice a lot to get it right? And how do you practice…?"

"I didn't practice," Scorpius said. "I just made sure I would get it right the first time."

"Bad-arse," Albus said.

"I do my best," Scorpius said again, chuckling. "Some people are good enough that they can make ones that move…"

"Why a snake?" Albus wondered.

"I'm a Slytherin," Scorpius said, shrugging. He looked carefully at his tattoo, then pulled his sleeve down over it.

"But snakes just seem so dark…" Albus said.

"They're really not," Scorpius said. "Some are… but they got this negative connotation…"

"Well… they tend to be pets of dark wizards," Albus pointed out.

Scorpius shook his head. "Now you're stereotyping. Besides, there's absolutely no proof that Salazar Slytherin was a dark wizard."

"Isn't there?" Albus questioned. "They say he hated Muggle-Borns right in our history books."

"Yeah? And who wrote the history books?" Scorpius said.

"Bathilda Bagshot?" Albus offered.

"No," Scorpius scoffed. "The real ones. The old archives. Those were all written by Godric Gryffindor. And Rowena Ravenclaw. Apparently the two of them liked to get it on. And honestly, there could be more to the story. It's stereotyping that brought Slytherin its reputation. It got to a point where it was full of dark wizards because no good wizard wanted to be in it, and all the bad ones thought it was the place to be."

"Wow," Albus said, watching the passion fills Scorpius' face.

"I'm quite done," Scorpius mumbled.

"No, I never thought about it that way. It's kind of interesting. And Ravenclaw and Gryffindor liked to shag?"

"Despite being married. Or so some of the books say," Scorpius said, waving his hand around at the shelves that surrounded them.

"Huh," Albus said thoughtfully. "I dunno. Ravenclaws are quite the know-it-alls."

Scorpius snorted. "You cannot call a Ravenclaw a know-it-all when Rose Weasley is your best friend."

Albus grinned. "Fair enough."

"Not that you're not a know-it-all as it is," Scorpius said.

"So are you," Albus said.

"I am not," Scorpius said, appalled.

"Yeah, you are," Albus said.

"No, I'm not," Scorpius said.

Albus glanced at him for a moment, smirking a little. And then his smirk turned into a smile. Scorpius tried to keep his heart out of his throat. Albus Potter's smile was such a cute and crooked smile. He desperately tried to shake it off. But then he found himself smiling too.

"Weird, isn't it?" Albus said, clearing his throat. But he didn't seem capable of shaking the grin either.

"What's weird?" Scorpius questioned, pushing his sleeve up and starting to trace the shape of the snake on his arm.

"Two gay guys hanging out in the Restricted Section of the library," Albus said thoughtfully, laughing.

"Yeah, it is weird," Scorpius said, leaning his head against the window. He looked at Albus, who met his gaze with piercing green eyes.

"Is it hard for you?" Albus wondered.

"What? Being gay?" Scorpius said. "I wouldn't say it's a walk in the park. What about you?"

"I've just sort of dealt with it," Albus said. "I dunno."

"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I'm just kind of… there's nothing I can do about it. I don't want to tell people. I would never have told you if you hadn't guessed."

"Yeah?" Albus said. "I guess that's where we differ. I don't really care who knows. I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to tell everyone."

"Really?" Scorpius questioned.

"Yeah," Albus said.

"I could never do that," Scorpius said.

"Even if you had someone you were in love with?" Albus asked.

"Do you have someone you're in love with?" Scorpius wondered.

"No," Albus sad. "I'm just asking."  
"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I don't really want to tell people. I like being the person I am. I have the right reputation to get me through Hogwarts. Telling people I'm gay would shatter everything. It would change the world too much for me."  
"You're going to have to tell someone eventually," Albus said. "If you ever want to live your life."  
"I know, but not during Hogwarts," Scorpius said. "Not during Hogwarts."

-CD-

Albus sighed to himself, looking over at Scorpius, who was leafing through a random book off the shelves. They had been quiet for a moment, because Scorpius had stumbled across the book and found it very intriguing. While he had never impressed Albus as the reading type, it appeared that Albus had been wrong.

"This is actually really interesting," Scorpius commented.

"What is it?" Albus wondered, getting up and walking over to look at the book.

"It's about these ancient curses that Druids would put on Celtic structures… you know, important ones…" Scorpius said. "It's basically a 'do it yourself' instruction guide, which is a little unnerving. But it's always good to know how to do a curse in order to undo one…"

"You're so strange," Albus decided.

"Hey, I think the idea of curses designed to last millions of years are really interesting," Scorpius said. "Do you think it would raise some questions if I checked this out?"

"Does Madam Vix like you?" Albus questioned.

"Yeah," Scorpius said.

"Then I'm sure you're probably safe."

"This isn't weird," Scorpius said, waving the book in the air. "This is interesting."

Albus shrugged. "Depends on your definition of interesting."  
"Oh come on," Scorpius said. "You want to be an auror, don't you? You have to have some appreciation for how Dark Magic is done."

"Appreciation?" Albus said. "That's an odd word for it. But I guess I know what you mean. And you're right, I do, I suppose."

"You have to know the roots of something, in order to cut it off," Scorpius said, shrugging.

"That makes a lot of sense," Albus said. He hopped up so that he was sitting on one of the desks that came out of the shelves.

"I thought so," Scorpius said. He smiled up at Albus. "I can't believe I'm here, having a meaningful conversation with Albus Potter."

"Hey, you could do it with the other Potters, and I'm definitely the best Potter," Albus said. "It only makes sense."

"Of course," Scorpius said. He closed the book and put it next to his bag. He stood up, crossing his arms.

"I wonder what Madam Vix would do if she realized we were using the Restricted Section as a place to talk, instead of a place to actually do schoolwork, which I feel is probably its real purpose."

"She likes me, remember? And I'd assume that, since you're Head Boy, she probably likes you too," Scorpius said.

"You might be surprised," Albus said. "Not everyone has to like you for you to be Head Boy."

Scorpius shrugged. "Yeah, but they all must have a decent amount of respect for you, in the end."

"I ate chocolate in the library once," Albus said.

"Oh…" Scorpius said. "Yeah that would do it…"

"I mean… she doesn't hate me but…" Albus said, laughing brightly. "Ah well… I'd do it again."

Scorpius laughed too, shaking his head. "Well, on your head be it then."

"Hey!" Albus said, jumping up. A drift of white had caught his eye out of the window.

"What?" Scorpius said as Albus leaned against the frigid glass.

"It's snowing," Albus said.

"Ugh, I hate snow," Scorpius said, remaining seated.

"How can you hate snow?" Albus wondered, whipping his head around to gape at Scorpius, incredulous.

"It's just… too cold," Scorpius complained.

"Oh come on! It's wonderful. It's refreshing! And it's… fresh!" Albus said.

"It's refreshing and fresh?" Scorpius said. "Wow. That's profound."

"I just don't understand," Albus said. "Disliking snow is unfathomable to me…"

"I've never had any reason to like it," Scorpius said.

"I've never had any reason to like it either, other than the fact that it's just… nice…" Albus said. "Doesn't it look nice? As it comes down? I love the first snowfall of the year."

"I will say it's not bad. From the comfort of a nice warm castle," Scorpius said.

"Oh come on," Albus said. "Come on, let's go outside."  
"I don't have my cloak with me," Scorpius protested.

"Nor do I," Albus said. "I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall in ten. Check out your books, get a cloak, I'll meet you down there."

"Why are we doing this?" Scorpius demanded as Albus wove through the stacks to get out of the Restricted Section.

"Because you're only young once," Albus said.

-CD-

"I don't understand this at all," Scorpius mumbled as Albus met him in the Entrance Hall. Albus was winding his scarlet and gold scarf around his neck. "I don't like snow."

"Oh come on," Albus said, laughing. He pulled the large door open and Scorpius followed him out into the brisk mid-November afternoon. It was getting late, approaching four, and the sun was drooping in the sky. But a swirl of flakes danced around both of them, gathering in a fine sugar coat on the grass.

Scorpius stood, stiff as a board next to Albus, shivering in his cloak, which gathered a fine powder layer itself.

"Loosen up, will you?" Albus said, grinning at him. "Come on… it's so nice. It reminds you that you're alive, don't you think? Don't you ever need a reminder like that?"  
"Yes, that's what I said to you not long ago… I guess so," Scorpius said. "I tend to get it with a really hot shower. Same effect, different end of the spectrum."

Albus shook his head. "If you're going to be friends with me, you're going to have to get used to this."

"And if you're going to be friends with me, you're going to have to get used to staying by a nice roaring fire. Inside. Where it's warm."

Albus shook his head. "That has its perks. But so does this."

"You're crazy," Scorpius said. "That's the only fitting explanation."

"So what?" Albus said. "Better to be crazy than dull."


	20. Absolutely Senseless

**Chapter 20: Absolutely Senseless**

"Have you talked to James in a while?" Lily asked as she and Albus rolled out sleeping bags in the Room of Requirement.

"No," Albus said. "Not for a while. Not since he found out I was friends with Scorpius… and he…"

"I know," Lily said. "I know he wasn't thrilled about it." She patted Albus' shoulder reassuringly. "I think he'll be fine. I know… I know it seemed like he didn't like you… you being gay, I mean… but he's your brother. He'll be fine."

The door swung open and Rose and Hugo came in.

"We can stop talking about it now," Albus said.

"Will do," Lily promised, smiling at her older brother.

-CD-

Albus rolled over in his sleep. He was in an amazing dream world. It was a nice one, a perfect one. One where he was happy.

Of course, this dream world had another key player. Albus wasn't ashamed to admit it in the dream world, but it would cause him heavy blush in the real world, when he woke up. Until that moment, he was going to relish it, because dream Albus didn't know any better.

In his dream, he had Scorpius Malfoy pinned against a stack of books in the Restricted Section of the library. Scorpius looked so hot, in his black pants and his white shirt, sleeves rolled up to expose the sinuous, perfect muscles in his arms, which were wrapped tightly around Albus, fingers braiding into Albus' hair. His tie was hanging loose, and the top button or so of his shirt was undone…

Albus and Scorpius were finding a way to tie their tongues into bows, their hands and lips on each other's necks. Albus had one hand on Scorpius' lower back, feeling the smoothed muscles of Scorpius' form… Their fronts were pressed tightly together, like the front of their pants… It was an ethereal feeling.

Albus awoke with a start. The Room of Requirement was silent, save for the noises of his sister and cousins breathing. He could feel the blush burn through his cheeks as he thought about his dream. His heart thudded in his chest, a hammer against his breastbone.

This was awkward. He was in a room full of relatives and completely aroused.

And what was worse—it was a dream about Scorpius, Scorpius his friend.

But he had liked the dream. He liked the concept of the dream, the concept of the two of them kissing… He liked that a lot.

But it was wrong to be thinking that. It really was… but he couldn't help himself. Because there was something about Scorpius that he just… _liked._

He wondered a little, if there was a possibility that they both had known, in a way, that the other was gay, even before either admitted it. A sixth sense, of sorts, if one thought about it that way. They always said, it takes one to know one.

Albus groaned, throwing a hand over his eyes.

"Albus?" Rose hissed at him. She was on his right side. He probably woke her up with his groan.

"Yeah?" he hissed back.

"Are you okay?" she wondered.

"No," he said.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, sitting up. He turned his head to look at her.

"I feel sick," he replied. He wasn't quite sure if that was what he was feeling. It was a mix of arousal and guilt and it had settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Like, how sick?" she wondered. "Are you going to vomit?"  
"No…" he said. "I just… I don't know…"  
"Do you need to go to the infirmary?" she asked, leaning over to look at him. Her red hair fell around her face, a curly shadow of a mane.

"No. I might be okay," he said.

"Are you sure?" she said.

"Yeah," he said. "Don't worry about me. Go back to sleep Rosie."

"Okay," she said. "Wake me up if you need to."

"Will do," he said.

She drifted back off to sleep and Albus sat up, sliding carefully out of his sleeping bag. The room was nice and warm, despite the chill of the outside world. He moved to the other side of huge room, away from his family, to where his bag was. He pulled the Marauder's Map out of his bag and tapped it with his wand.

He started skimming the map, starting in the Slytherin dormitories. But Scorpius' dot wasn't here. Maggie's was, in the girl's dormitory. The next option was the prefect's bathroom, and there, Albus found his mark. Scorpius' dot was smack in the middle of the bathroom, his name neatly printed out behind him.

Albus sighed, leaning his head against the wall. This was wrong of him. But Scorpius was on the brain. He wanted to know where he was, what he was thinking, how he was feeling. And while that was wrong, in a creepy friend way, it was just proof to Albus that he wanted something out of this. And that was certainly something he wasn't sure he was, in any way, allowed to have.

The dot stayed stationary in the bathroom as Albus calmed himself down. He leaned against the wall, feeling the heat in his face. Maybe he actually was falling ill… he certainly felt like it. But that could just have been the churning in his stomach, the rolling waves of nervousness that were coursing through his blood—even though he had nothing to be nervous about.

Except ruining a great friendship. If that was what he and Scorpius had.

But then again, if they had always known the other was gay, somewhere deep down at least, Albus figured there had to be something more…

Albus glanced around at his family, wondering, if he were to wake them up and tell them all everything at that moment, what they would do. What would they say if he admitted he was gay, if he declared he was crushing on Scorpius Malfoy? What advice could they give him?

After all, they did give the best advice. He certainly couldn't deny that. It's just… would they be willing to give him any?

-CD-

Scorpius wand-dried his hair, stepping out into the chilly corridor. He was dressed comfortably for the walk back to the dorm: pajama bottoms and a comfortable sweater. It was a sweater kind of night. As December approached them, the winds whipped against the walls of the school, aggressively rattling the windowpanes and snapping fruitlessly at the stones. Still, no matter the magical heating capabilities, Hogwarts was, ultimately, a big box of cold stone.

"Scorp." A familiar voice hissed the unfamiliar and truncated version of his name from somewhere in the dark. Moving his wand in the right direction, Scorpius cast the white light on Albus Potter. Albus stood in front of them, dressed much like Scorpius, in pajamas and a scarlet sweater with a golden letter "A" on the front.

"What are you doing?" Scorpius demanded, startled.

"Sorry," Albus said.

"Why are you up so late?" Scorpius wondered.

"Needed some air," Albus explained, shrugging. "Headed this way…"

"Going to the bath?" Scorpius assumed.

"No," Albus replied. "Looking for you."

"Looking for me? Why?" Scorpius questioned, his whispers bouncing off of the stone walls around them.

"Because…" Albus said. "I just wanted to."

"You make no sense, sometimes, you know that?" Scorpius said.

"I'm not the one taking a bath at two in the morning," Albus countered.

Scorpius shrugged. "I find that completely sensible."

"Right…" Albus said. "Well so do I, I guess…"

"Why did you want to find me, Al?" Scorpius asked.

"I don't know," Albus said. "I'm sorry… I just did."

"It's okay," Scorpius said. "You don't need to feel bad…"

"Okay," Albus said, standing there.

Scorpius looked at him a moment. In the pale light of his wand, he could see that Albus was red in the face, a patchy rugged red, with a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Scorpius wondered. "Do you feel alright?"

Albus shrugged. "I'm not really sure what's wrong with me. Having a rough night…"

"Are you sick?" Scorpius asked, closing the distance between them to put the back of his hand on Albus' forehead. "You feel a little warm…"

"I don't know, I don't know," Albus said, and there was a hint of panic in his voice. He leaned against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position. Confused, Scorpius settled next to him.

"Something's got you in a panic mode," Scorpius said.

"Yeah, I don't quite know what," Albus said. But Scorpius heard notes of the lie in his voice.

"You just don't want to tell me," Scorpius concluded.

"It's not that," Albus said. "I just… I _can't _tell you."

"Oh," Scorpius said, contemplating that for a moment. He couldn't really think of anything Albus wouldn't be able to tell him, seeing as they pretty much knew each other's greatest secrets.

"I dunno…" Albus said.

"I think, if I'm correct, you just don't know," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"I don't," Albus said. He chuckled a little. "I'm certifiably insane, I think…"  
"I gathered as much," Scorpius said, laughing a little.

Albus looked up at him for a moment. Scorpius found himself lost in a pair of big green eyes with a perfect light reflection in them. He looked away quickly, worried about what he might feel or do if he kept looking…

"I'm probably not the person you want to talk to about this stuff," Scorpius said. "I'm so screwed up as it is."

"You're screwed up?" Albus echoed.

"Of course I'm screwed up," Scorpius said. "I'm one of the most screwed up people I know…"

"How so?" Albus wondered.

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't really like to talk about it. I'm just saying."

"You know, you could tell me," Albus said. "I don't think you should worry about it. I'm not here to judge or anything. You know that."

"I do know that," Scorpius said. "It's just… I'm still hesitant, of course."

"I know," Albus said. "It's always rough to bare your weaknesses…"

"I just live in this weird world," Scorpius said. "Where my father was a Death Eater, and he expects something from me and the world expects something from me, and I'm not really sure what either of them wants, or how to meld them together… I don't do well being told how I ought to be, because I know I'm sure as hell never going to be that way…"

"It's got to be stressful," Albus said. "I kind of know the feeling. In a different way though… I mean… I'm Harry Potter's son. He saved the bloody Wizarding World… and I'm just average."

"Average?" Scorpius echoed. "I don't think you're average."

"When you think of my father, I'm pretty average," Albus said, shrugging.

"I don't know," Scorpius said. "Does it ever get to you though? I just feel like I have all of these competing expectations and then I have my own and I don't meet up to any of them. I shouldn't be gay. But I am. But I don't think that's my problem. It's never ruined me. It's always everything else."

"Ruined you?" Albus repeated. "What ruined you?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I think it was mostly me. I ruined myself."  
"Ruined?" Albus said. "What do you mean with that word?"  
"I mean I drove myself to the edge, over and over again," Scorpius said. "And I started not caring how close I was to just going over it. In fact, sometimes I looked forward to it."

"I'm confused," Albus said.

"I can't really explain it…" he said.

"Oh," Albus said. "Are you sure? Or do you just not want to?"

"I'm not sure if I want to," Scorpius said. "It's like ripping open old wounds…"

"If you don't talk to people about it, the wounds never heal," Albus said.

"I don't know about that," Scorpius said. "I'm not a talker."

"You don't have to be."


	21. A Fantastic Reputation

_**A/N: Here's another shout out to my beta. For still betaing while on vacation so all of you can have updates on my typical schedule. **_

**Chapter 21: A Fantastic Reputation**

"Hey, Al," Andrew said as Albus plopped down next to him at the breakfast table.

"Hey," Albus said. "Are you going to Hogsmeade with my sister again today?"  
"Yeah," Andrew said. "Does that bother you?"  
"No," Albus said. "I guess not. You make her happy…"

"I know, but we never get to hang out anymore," Andrew said.

"My sister likes to hog what she believes is hers," Albus said, shrugging.

Andrew laughed. "I really like her, Al."

"Well that's good," Albus said. "Because I think she really likes you."

"I think so," Andrew said.

"Morning boys," Lily said, squeezing onto the bench on Andrew's other side. She kissed him on the lips and he slid his arm around her. Albus shuddered involuntarily.

The Great Hall emptied gradually as everyone third year and above filtered out to head to Hogsmeade for the day. As everyone was occupied with dates—including Rose, who was being accompanied by Lorcan Scamander—Albus and Scorpius had decided to go together again.

"So… I think I better do some Christmas shopping," Albus said.

"I need to too," Scorpius said.

"Speaking of which, what do you want for Christmas? And your birthday, actually?"

"You don't have to get me anything," Scorpius said instantly. "I don't need a thing. Believe me."

"Nah, everyone needs something for their birthday, at least," Albus said.

"Well you'll just have to come up with it on your own, because I can't think of anything I would like," Scorpius said. "Also, I'm a little unnerved that you know my birthday is coming up."

"Lily told me," Albus said. "I don't actually know what day it is…"

"The fourteenth," Scorpius clarified.

"I'll do my best to remember that," Albus said. "Mine's January twentieth, if we're keeping track."

"I will attempt to remember that," Scorpius said, grinning at him.

"I have way too many family members to shop for," Albus said.

"Do you all get things for everyone?" Scorpius wondered.

"Well… every family gets one gift for every cousin," Albus said. "And then there's a little favorite action going along in there. My mum is really close with Victoire, so she always gets her another gift… Rose and I always get each other something special. And there are others that do stuff like that."

"Wow," Scorpius said. "I shop for my mother, my father, and then Maggie. And last year I got James something…"

"Ah James…" Albus said. "What to give the prick…?"

"Still not in a good, friendly place with him?" Scorpius wondered.

"Haven't spoken to him," Albus said. He had told Scorpius about the meeting with James in the fireplace.

"That just doesn't seem right to me," Scorpius said, winding his scarf a little more tightly around his neck.

"I know," Albus said. "I didn't think James would ever act like that. No matter what he thinks, he and I are still brothers… We've been mean to each other in the past, but we're mates…"

"I'm sure you'll get to talk to him about it over the holidays," Scorpius said.

"Yeah," Albus said, pausing outside the Quidditch shop. "Maybe I'll get you more Quidditch stuff for you… Now that you're the number two Seeker in Hogwarts."

Scorpius laughed. "You can't say I'm number two until you beat me."

"Hey, that was a good game you played against Ravenclaw," Albus said. "But you still don't have the finesse of a pro like me. Let's go in here, I'm sure I'll find something to entertain Lily."

Scorpius laughed. "Do people get her Quidditch things every year?"

"Yeah," Albus said. "You would think it would start to annoy her, but it doesn't. She's enthralled by Quidditch stuff…"

"Does she want to play for Portree or…?" Scorpius questioned.

"No," Albus said. "Well yeah, she'll play for anyone, but she'd kill to play for the Harpies like our mum did…"

"Don't they only recruit people whose names start with the letter G?" Scorpius asked.

"Er… well a lot of them, yeah… but there was one in 1999, last name Morgan… I dunno. And Lily would probably willingly change her name if it meant she could play for them…"

-CD-

"Mm," Albus said, wrapping his hands around his tankard of warm butterbeer. "This makes me really happy."

"Easy to please then?" Scorpius said, laughing as he dropped into his seat across from Albus.

"Yes," Albus said. "Very much so."

"I'm ready for the holidays," Scorpius said. "Granted… I mean I love Hogwarts and I would prefer to be here than home, but I'm kind of sick of classes. Then again, I don't know what's worse… classes or family."

"Is your family that bad?" Albus questioned.

"We're not a very warm trio," Scorpius said. "I mean, they love me, whatever, but we're not… picture perfect. We're not your family."

"Oh because we're so picture perfect," Albus said. "Yeah, not quite."

"I don't know," Scorpius said. "You all look so happy all the time."

"Oh don't get me wrong, we get along really well… but we're still a family. We still argue. James and I still don't clean our rooms and the three of us fight over whose turn it is to clean the bathroom, or at least Lily and I do now that James has moved out—it drives her nuts, because I can do it with magic, and she can't, so it's really not fair of me…"

"It's weird. Sibling arguments," Scorpius said. "I wish I had a sister or something."

"Nah, wish for a brother," Albus said. "Sisters… especially little sisters, are too much to look out for. It's stressful trying to protect them."

"I don't think Lily needs as much protecting as you think she does," Scorpius said.

"I dunno," Albus said. "Either way, she's still my little sister. I'm going to look after her whether she needs it or not."

Scorpius nodded. "I guess that's what you do. Obviously, I wouldn't know."

"When you have a family as big as mine, there's no getting around it. We all just… sort of look out for each other," Albus said. "When Rose and I were first years, Victoire was a seventh year… Someone started messing with me… Mostly because I was Harry Potter's son… All of the older cousins found out, and they destroyed the poor bastard. It was a massive Weasley family detention, but nobody ever messed with one of us again after that…"

"I think I remember that," Scorpius said, thinking for a moment.

Albus laughed a little. "A lot of people do. It's a good thing. Only now I can fight my own battles. And they all know that too."

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "Most people in this school are terrified to mess with you. You've got a reputation. So does Rose."

"You've got one too," Albus reminded him.

"Oh I know," Scorpius said. "I have a fantastic reputation, actually. I'm quite fond of it."

Albus grinned. "Could be worse."

"I'm completely serious. I'm the dark, mysterious Slytherin that you don't mess with. It's nice. Makes life pretty easy to live."

Albus chuckled. "You live by practically threatening anyone that looks at you twice."  
"Nope. Never threatened anyone. They just think I'm creepy," Scorpius said. "Or violent. Not really sure. But I'm a prefect… A prefect for Merlin's sake. It's like they don't connect the dots or something."

Albus laughed. "Must be rough."

"It really is," Scorpius said, sighing. He grinned. And then Albus grinned back at him… and then Scorpius' heart skyrocketed. He couldn't help it. There was just this look on his face, a smirking, almost cocky grin, crooked and playful, teasing. It made Scorpius' heart thud in his chest. Albus was just so… attractive.

"So do you think we ought to hang out over the holiday?" Albus wondered.

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "Honestly, other than Christmas, I'm not doing anything."

"Yeah Christmas is an all-day Weasley affair," Albus said. "But other than that, me neither."

Scorpius grinned. "I always spend some time in London and in Diagon Alley. Maybe we could meet for a day or something."

"Sure," Albus said. "That might be nice."

It would be more than nice, Scorpius thought. But he didn't want to say anything out loud. He wouldn't. More importantly, he couldn't!

"It would be," he simply agreed.

-CD-

Maggie was sprawled on Scorpius' bed when he got up there after Hogsmeade. He was freezing and kind of wanted a hot shower, but she appeared to be in a crisis. She had her hands knotted into her hair and a crazed look in her eyes. She hadn't bothered to take her shoes off when she put her feet on his bed. And she knew how much that bothered Scorpius.

"What's wrong?" he asked instantly, dumping his cloak on the floor and hopping up on his bed with her—after kicking off his boots, of course.

"Henry and I broke up," she said.

"Did he break up with you?" he asked, sliding closer to her.

"Yeah…" she said. "Apparently I'm shallow."

Scorpius didn't really know how to reply to that. "Why does he think that?"

"Well because I'm shallow," she said. "Wasn't I saying I only wanted to date him because he was hot? That's very shallow."

"Well… yeah," he said. "But…"  
"But it still kind of sucks," she said. "He was really hot."

"Hey… he's not worth it," Scorpius said.

"This is going to throw off the whole dynamic of the Quidditch team," she said. "It's going to be all awkward between us!"

"Not if you don't let it…" Scorpius said. "Don't let it be."

"Yeah…" she said. "Yeah, I know, I know…"  
"It'll be okay, Mags," he promised her.

"Will you set me up with someone?" she begged. "Please, please?"

"Oh Merlin… you don't need it," he said. "Besides. You and Albus are my only friends, practically…"

"Well… there's Albus," she said.

Scorpius practically snorted. "Um no, not quite."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"No you two are not each other's types at all. You just have to trust me on that one, Maggie," he promised her.

"Ugh," she said. "Come on… there has to be someone out there!"

"Just be patient," he said. "You can make it a few days without having a boyfriend, I assure you."

"I know, but I don't have to like it," she said. "But I know. You've made it this long without having a girlfriend. I should just follow your lead and I should be good, right?"

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah." But the way she looked up at him right then, there was something in her eyes that was very telling. It was as if she knew all of his secrets and was content to swallow them and hold them, without even telling him that she knew everything… It made him feel very exposed for a moment or so.

Scorpius awkwardly cleared his throat, looking down at her.

"Where do you see yourself in ten years?" she wondered. "Do you think we both will be married, maybe? Families and kids and lives and all of that rubbish?"

"I feel like it," he said. "Ten years seems like such a long time from now though… But in all truth… we both should just have lives. In the Wizarding World, by the time we're twenty-eight, we should both be settled down and have a kid or two… So I think we will have that. Because that's just how life is, you know? We'll find the right person somewhere in the next ten years."

But Scorpius couldn't help but wonder… he supposed he would have to adopt a kid or two… but he figured he could handle that. Oddly enough, to someone as screwed as up as him, a family actually seemed somewhat appealing…


	22. Lost In Frustration

**Chapter 22: Lost In Frustration**

"Happy birthday!" Albus said brightly, standing outside the Slytherin common room entrance. Scorpius jumped about fifteen feet in the air when he said it, whipping his wand out.

"Oh Merlin!" Scorpius said, stuffing his wand into his pocket. "How many people have you done that to?"

"None, other than you," Albus said, laughing and shoving the Marauder's Map more discreetly into his bag. He was running on some sort of high. He wasn't quite sure what it was. "Sorry… I… uh… had some caffeine… so you have to forgive me. I think there might have been something else in it."

"Coffee is that one muggle thing that we wizards have a weakness for," Scorpius said.

"Tell me about it," Albus said. "I'm jittery. But here. I have a present for you."

"Oh…" Scorpius said, chuckling as Albus shoved a package at him. "Thanks."

"I picked it out," Albus said. "Obviously."

"Obviously," Scorpius said. "What was in your coffee?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask Lily. I think she's fucking with me…" Albus said brightly as Scorpius pulled back the brown paper from the package. Scorpius pulled the book out of the wrapping.

"_The Tomb of Tutankhamun: A Discussion of the Curses Protecting the Most Lavish Tomb of Ancient Egypt. By Wendla Tyriani," _Scorpius read off the front cover.

"Apparently that Wendla was the witch assistant to Howard Carter, the bloke that discovered Tut's tomb. I thought you would be interested," Albus said.

"Very much so," Scorpius said. "It's spectacular. Where did you find it?"

"I asked my Uncle Bill," Albus said. "You know, a good curse-breaking book. And then I had it shipped from Flourish and Blotts. Wasn't sure if it was going to get here on time, actually."

"Well thank you," Scorpius said. "It's very interesting. I'm excited to read it."

He slid it gently into his bag.

"Are you headed to breakfast?" Albus wondered.

"Yeah, I am," Scorpius said.

"Yeah?" Albus said. "I think I'll join you. I need to eat something to counteract whatever this is in my system."

"That's probably a good idea," Scorpius said, smiling at him.

"Probably," Albus said, grinning. "I'm in a good mood today. What about you?"

"Pretty good," Scorpius said. "It is my birthday after all. I just sort of wish I didn't have to go to class."

"My birthday's on a Saturday when it comes around," Albus said. "That thrills me a little bit."

"Honestly, with the state you're in right now, I'd be surprised if something didn't thrill you," Scorpius informed him, laughing.

"Yeah, I know," Albus said. "Me too… So do you have any big birthday plans?"

"Not really," Scorpius said. "I made sure to get all of the homework out of the way that I could, so I wouldn't have to do it today."

"Well that's a good plan," Albus said. "But you should go to the kitchens for dinner…"

"What?" Scorpius said.

"Oh come on… you can't tell me you've never been to the kitchens," Albus said. "I go every birthday. It's not that the food in the Great Hall isn't fantastic… it's just you can have whatever you want if you go down to the kitchens…"

"I dunno… don't the elves only do that for people they like?" Scorpius questioned.

"Well, they like me. I'll go with you," Albus said, laughing.

-CD-

"Mr. Potter sir," Albus' elf friend, Kidi, greeted him as he led the way into the kitchen with Scorpius. "Kidi is pleased to see you, sir. How are you, sir?"

"Good," Albus said. "Kidi, I'd liked to introduce you to Scorpius Malfoy."

"Kidi is very pleased to meet Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy sir," the elf said, bowing deeply. "What can Kidi and the other elves do for you, sirs?"

"We missed dinner," Albus said. "And it's Scorpius' birthday, so we came to see if you could help us out."

"Of course, sirs, we elves would be honored, sir. What would you like?"

Scorpius ordered mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, a pot roast, some rolls, and chocolate ice cream for dessert. Albus grinned. Scorpius had good taste in food. After he blatantly argued with the elves about how they shouldn't do anything that was too much trouble, Scorpius gave in with a sigh and plopped into a seat at the table which had been carried over by roughly ten elves.

"I'm liking the idea of a pot roast," Albus said, grinning. "I'm glad I had this suggestion."

"They're very hospitable here," Scorpius mused, leaning his chair back on two legs.

"I know they are," Albus said. "Basically anything you want you can have… if they have the ingredients available. And there are very few ingredients they don't have, honestly."  
"I can't believe I haven't been down here before," Scorpius said.

"I can't believe it either," Albus said. "It sort of just makes Hogwarts what it is."

He looked at Scorpius, who was simply smiling back at him. And for some reason Albus felt, for the first time in his life, like he was on a date. And he knew that was bad…

-CD-

The wind rushed against the castle walls, a strong whipping wind that hit the windows. But thankfully, in the Slytherin common room, there were no windows.

It was the night before the holidays started. A roaring party was finishing out the term in the Slytherin common room. Everyone was packed and ready to head off in the morning, but they were going to celebrate about it. Each one of them had already gotten a vial of hang-over remedy so they could show up for their parents without looking like zombies.

Scorpius had had a little bit to drink, he wasn't going to deny it. In fact, he was basically trashed, laughing raucously with Maggie in the corner of the common room. He was in a crazy mood, close to a mental crash, he was certain. In fact, the holidays were never more welcome than they were at this point.

For the past week he had been jittery. All he could think of was Albus. He thought desperately of him all day, and much of the time, all night too. But he couldn't let himself act that way. There was no reason to put himself through any sort of social pain while he was still in Hogwarts. Merlin, he was just eighteen. He had his whole life ahead of him for that sort of thing.

But it was leaving him frustrated, certainly. Very much so. Mentally. Sexually. All of it. He was jittery. It was bad. It was really bad. But he didn't know how to fix it at this point, which was why a little bit of time away from Hogwarts would be good. It meant a little time away from Albus Potter, the ultimate cause of his jitteriness.

He poured himself another cup of booze, not sure what it was, or how much of it he really ought to be having. But he had it just the same. It was probably his third glass of that and he'd lost track of how many other glasses he had had of all of the other stuff. Maggie was keeping track of what she was drinking by marking it on her arm with ink that wouldn't wash off for twenty-four hours. Just to keep herself in control, at least. Scorpius probably should have done something similar. But he hadn't.

"You're so far gone," Maggie informed him as he stumbled back over to her.

"I know I am," he said, laughing brightly. "But so are you."

"But at least I know how far," she replied, waving her arm in his face so that the little tally lines blurred in his already fuzzy vision.

"Eh, why spoil the fun?" he said. "It's always fun to be surprised."

"What? With the volume you manage to vomit? Or the measure of how horrible a headache you have when you wake up the next morning?" she questioned.

"Exactly," he said. "You hit the nail on the head, my dear Margaret."

"My name isn't Margaret," she said.

"But then why do you go by Maggie?" he wondered.

"My name is just Maggie," Maggie replied. "I'm fairly certain you know this."

"I forget a lot of things when I'm drunk. Why don't I just call you Peggy?" Scorpius asked brightly.

"Because Peggy is short for Margaret, and I'm not Margaret," Maggie replied. "I'm just Maggie."

"Right, right," Scorpius said. "Well… I'm just Scorpius."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure most people know that's not short for anything," Maggie said gently, patting him on the shoulder.

"You're such a good friend," Scorpius informed her.

"I try," she said.

"Hey, hey Scorpius." Scorpius looked up at the sounds of the seductive voice. Bex Overton waltzed casually over to him.

"Hi," he said. "What can I do for you?"

He stepped away from Maggie. Bex smiled up at him, sliding closer to him so that there was almost no space between them.

"Hi," she said. "I just… I couldn't let us part for the holidays without doing this." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Reacting on the limited instinct he had when girls were involved, Scorpius wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her deeply back. There was tongue. It was a good kiss, actually, even though it was a girl. Scorpius had kissed his share of girls, and as much as they didn't really turn him on, a good kiss could do a lot.

"Oh…" he said, pulling away from her.

"Is this okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. And in his head, he pictured Albus when his lips met hers, when their tongues looped around each other…

"Good," she said, sliding her long-nailed fingers up his back.

It was only Albus in his head. Only Albus.

"Come on," she said, hooking her hand in his.

"What… where are we going?" he asked as she started to pull him away from Maggie.

"Scorpius…" she said. "We're going to my dorm room…"  
"Scorpius. Do you want to do this?" Maggie asked loudly as the alcohol thundered in Scorpius' ears. He could hear his blood whooshing through his veins, circulating through his body. Maybe it wasn't what he was looking for in his life. Maybe she was so not his type…

It didn't make sense. He didn't want her. But if he could picture her as Albus… it was fine. Maybe it didn't make any sense at all, because in the honest, real world, he wasn't even a top anyway. But it didn't matter. Because this was all he was going to get, and he had to make the most of it while he could. He would just have to make the picture he really wanted in his head.

"I'm fine," he assured Maggie. He let Bex pull him down the hallway, into her dorm room, and he fell onto her bed with her while she ripped her shirt over her head.

This was okay with him. It had to be okay with him. Because he could pretend for as long as he wanted too…

Though this, if he was being honest, was one of those things that would destroy him. It could and it would eat him from the inside out until he cracked once again.

But this was all he was going to get. He was going to get a skanky sixteen-year-old with breasts and a uterus, when all he wanted was the exact opposite….

"I've wanted this for a while," Bex whispered hoarsely, seductively.

"Don't talk," Scorpius said, practically snapping at her.

She just raised an eyebrow at him and kissed him with her tongue and teeth.

He would just have to pretend, because he could never be who he really was. Not in this world.

_End Part I_

* * *

**_A/N: Part II will continue in the same fic. The action starts pick up and everything that you're waiting for is going to happen. I will continue to update at the same pace, so expect Chapter 23 in 2 days! _**


	23. The Strangest of Friendships

**Part II**

**Chapter 23: The Strangest of Friendships**

"Would you like to meet my parents?" Albus asked as the Hogwarts Express came to a chugging halt at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Scorpius looked down at him from where he was standing on the seat, trying to dislodge his owl's cage from the luggage rack.

"Sure," he said, seemingly surprised.

"They're not bad," Lily contributed from down on the seats, where she was sitting on Andrew's lap.

"Ugh…" Maggie said, counting a number of black lines on her arm. "I'll see you all soon…"

She gave some hugs all around and there were more hugs—and in the case of Andrew and Lily, kisses— shared between the rest of them.

"My parents are really nice," Albus said. "They're actually a little too nice…"

"But they might be surprised that Albus and I are friends with you," Lily said brightly tugging her owl out of the overhead rack too. The trio hopped down on the platform and started to make their way over to the typical Potter meeting place.

"Is James going to be here?" Albus asked Lily.

"Yeah," Lily said. "Don't worry about it though…"

"I don't know, Lils," Albus said.

"Come on," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Dramatic. You're just being dramatic."

She plowed through the crowd ahead of the two boys, leading the way to the usual pillar where the Potters reconvened every Christmas and summer. Albus' mum was leaning against a pillar, dressed in a muggle coat and jeans, talking with Aunt Hermione. His father was talking with James, both dressed like Muggles as well.

"Hi!" his mum said brightly when she caught sight of them. James stiffened, catching his little brother's eye.

"Hi, Mum… Dad… James," Albus said, bestowing hugs on his parents, giving James a curt brotherly nod.

"What's this I hear about you having a boyfriend, Lils?" James asked Lily instantly.

"Oh Merlin, drop it already, please," Lily begged.

"Mum, Dad, I would like you to meet a friend of mine—and a friend of Lily's too. You'll probably see him once or twice over the holidays," Albus said, gesturing to Scorpius. "This is Scorpius Malfoy. Scorp, my parents, Harry and Ginny Potter."

"It's nice to meet both of you," Scorpius said cordially, flashing a winning smile as he shook their hands. The Potters smiled warmly back at him, and Albus could see no break in their expressions. They weren't appalled that he was friends with a Malfoy.

"You too, Scorpius," Albus' mum said kindly.

"I'd like to meet your parents," Albus informed Scorpius.

"Well… they're not here," Scorpius said.

"What do you mean, they're not here?" Albus questioned.

"It's easier for me to just Apparate home than for them to come meet me here," Scorpius said, shrugging. "I could've left right from Hogsmeade, but I like the train ride… I'll introduce them to you sometime during the holidays…."

"Oh…" Albus said. "Okay."

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "I'll see you soon, Albus. And Lily, perhaps. It was very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

"Of course," Albus' dad said. "Feel free to come around anytime, Scorpius."  
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Scorpius said, smiling brightly. "Goodbye, all of you."

With a flash of his teeth in a debonair smile for Albus—which of course, Albus proceeded to interpret in four thousand different ways—Scorpius disappeared into the crowd.

"Well that's an interesting friendship," Albus' father commented. "I'm sure we'll discuss that more in-depth in the car."  
"Of course we will," Albus grumbled.

Once all five Potters were crammed into the family car, Lily in between her brothers, the interrogation about the whole term began. Of course, Albus had a knack for getting his parents to focus on Lily—and when James was in Hogwarts, James too—for hopefully the whole car ride.

First they covered Lily and Andrew and how her OWL preparation was going… But it couldn't last forever. Despite the changes in her life, Lily had very little to blab about for once. It wasn't too long before the conversation turned to Albus.

"Let's start with the obvious," his mum said, turning around in her seat. "Scorpius Malfoy. Since when are you friends?"

"He was friends with Lily first. And actually, he was friends with James too," Albus said, looking pointedly at his older brother.

"More like acquaintances," James said, shrugging.

"Anyway, he's a good bloke," Albus said. "And a good friend, actually."

"He's so nice," Lily said.

"That's surprising to me," their dad said. "I'm not saying I don't believe you. His father was just never very nice."

"Dad, don't judge him on who his father is."

"I'm not," his father said. "I'm simply stating a fact. I'm sure Scorpius is a great friend to both of you."

"He's alright," James said.

"Shut up, James," Albus said.

"What?" James said. "I'm just putting my opinion out there."

"Sometimes your opinion is stupid," Albus snapped at him, turning for the first time to look at James. Hazel eyes met green in a painful shock wave. All the hurt, all the pain that Albus had felt at his brother's rejection spilled into the small space that separated the brothers. In fact, it seemed that it ought to start crushing and suffocating Lily at any moment. The look of horror on her face, as she sensed the emotion spring up between them, was enough to make Albus cringe.

But he was more focused on James. Once, _once, _they had been best mates. They were brothers. They would play Quidditch with each other, from the early afternoon, until darkness had settled over everything and everyone, and their mum finally dragged them inside to wash up and have dinner. They could make jokes with each other. They were pals. And Albus, he idolized James. His whole year before Hogwarts was spent writing to his brother, learning about what it was like to be in the most amazing place on earth… to be a Gryffindor. Albus desperately wanted to be like him.

To be rejected by someone he cared about so much was painful to Albus. It was like someone had sliced him open.

"It's wrong." That was all that Albus could hear, or think, when he looked at James.

But James wasn't looking back at him with loathing, or disgust. In fact, he looked at Albus with a look just as pained as Albus' look. He wanted to say something—Albus could tell; James always got a certain look when he wanted to say something, with his tongue in his cheek, and earnest gleam in his eyes…

"What's with you two?" their mum asked, turning around in her seat again.

"Nothing," James said. "Albus and I just have some stuff to talk about."

-CD-

Scorpius waved his wand in front of the large doors of Malfoy Manor. From the outside, it was a Gothic testament, once a monument to everything rich and lavish. It was dark, it was sinister… But that was all long ago. When the door swung open, it would show his home, the place where Scorpius had played on the floor, had been raised by his parents, where he was still part of a family—as screwed up as the family sometimes was. Inside, it was surprisingly warm. The cold walls had been softened by his mother's decorating choices, and a nice, comfortable heat radiated through the entire place.

As was always expected when he got home from the holidays, a massive Christmas tree dominated the entranceway, from floor to ceiling, rivaling the trees in the Great Hall back at Hogwarts. It sparkled with thousands of little lights, and fairies, but was otherwise bare. Tonight, Scorpius and his mum would decorate it. It was the second year he would be able to do it by magic; until he was seventeen, he used to have to do what he could reach at the base of the tree.

"Scorpius!" his mother's clear, alto voice echoed through the entryway. He looked up to see her coming down the stairs, draped in a brilliant red dress, her golden hair knotted at the base of her neck.

"Mum," he said, smiling at her as his coat hung itself up and he charmed his trunk up the stairs. When his mum reached him, she wrapped her arms around him a tight hug, giving him a light kiss on the forehead.

"Hello, my dear boy," she said. "I'm glad you're home. I've missed you quite a bit."

"I've missed you too," he said. Scorpius never realized that he missed his mother until he saw her. There was just something welcoming about her, about the soothing tone of her voice and the smell the filled Scorpius' nose when he hugged her. It was like he was home. Maybe they didn't get along all the time, and maybe she was superficial and didn't understand what Scorpius woke up and faced every single day of his life… but she was still his mum.

"Scorpius, welcome home," he heard his father's colder—but just as familiar—voice sounded from another room on the first floor. He appeared with a welcoming smile on his face and approached with an extended hand. Not quite a touchy-feely pair, Scorpius and his father exchanged a firm handshake instead.

"Nice to see you, Dad," he said, smiling a little.

"There is hot chocolate in the kitchen," his mother informed him, and we'll be having dinner shortly. How was your trip home?"

"It was good,' Scorpius said. "It was really good. I've made a couple of new friends this term, interestingly enough. Albus and Lily Potter."

"Potter?" his father echoed. "As in Harry Potter's children?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "They're really good friends, actually."

His father seemed to think about that for a while, a frown on his face as the three Malfoys headed toward the kitchen together.

"Dad, please," Scorpius said. "I know you and Harry Potter obviously weren't best mates, but Albus and Lily are good friends, and you'll certainly be seeing Albus around at some point over Christmas."

His father was still silent. The three of them all filled steaming mugs with hot chocolate, settling comfortably at the smooth wooden kitchen table.

"How did you become friends with Albus Potter?" his father finally asked, breaking the pressing silence.

"Oddly enough, he thought I was in a relationship with his sister, and he got all protective of her… and shortly thereafter we actually sort of became friends…"

"That's very odd," his mother said, laughing a little.

"Isn't it?" Scorpius said, laughing too.

"What else has happened this term?" his mum wondered. "You never told me how your first Quidditch match went—I had to hear from Maggie's mother."  
"Mum, I'm not that excited about Quidditch," Scorpius said. "Maggie basically forced me to go out for the team… She needed a Seeker, and I guess I was the best man for the job. Organized sports and the popularity, fame and jock stereotype that comes from playing Quidditch are not really my favorite things…. I don't quite fit that mold."

"No, I know you don't," his mother said. "You're much more reserved than that… But it would still have been nice to hear how the match went, you know."

"We won," Scorpius said. "It was a short game. Just under forty-five minutes. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff's game lasted for nearly three hours."

"Those are the best Quidditch games," his father contributed. "I loved Quidditch, at least for the first year of Hogwarts. I liked it a lot more when I wasn't playing it, honestly. And then it was nearly impossible to beat Harry Potter at Seeking…"

"No, what's impossible is trying to keep Lily Potter from scoring," Scorpius said. "If that girl takes twenty shots she'll make nineteen of them. Merlin, she'd probably make forty-nine out of fifty. That makes playing miserable for all of the other teams. At least if they're up against Gryffindor."

"That runs in the family though," Scorpius' mother pointed out.

His father nodded along. "And it does not run in ours."

Scorpius just laughed at that, because of course it was true.


	24. Everything is Right, Nothing is Wrong

**Chapter 24: Everything is Right, Nothing is Wrong**

"Albus, I need to talk to you," James said, leaning inside the door to Albus' room.

"I don't feel like talking to you, James," Albus replied curtly. It was the first day of the holidays, the day before Christmas Eve. Albus had spent the last hour sprawled on his bed, half asleep, half reading up on things he would need to pass the right NEWTs at the end of the year.

"I know you don't," James said. "But I want to talk to you. You have to talk to me, Al."

"James… the last time we talked, it didn't exactly go well."

James came in anyway, closing the door behind him, and whipping his wand to cast a silent muffling spell so their conversation couldn't be overheard by anyone.

"Al…" James said, sitting down in Albus' desk chair. "Come on. You need to listen to me for a few minutes, okay?"

Albus closed his book and looked up at his brother, flipping himself over onto his back. He put his hands behind his head.

"Speak," Albus said. "I can make no promises to listen and reply."

James huffed a sigh. "Albus… you're my brother."

"Thank you, I hadn't realized," Albus said.

"Oh Merlin, you're impossible," James growled. "Shut up, okay?"

Albus rolled his eyes.

"You're my brother, Albus. I love you, okay? And I told you to not jump to fucking conclusions about what I was or wasn't saying to you. But I don't hate you. I don't care if you're gay or straight. Be whatever the fuck makes you happy, okay? Because, as your brother, I want you to be happy."

Albus contemplated for a moment, thinking silently, without speaking a word. He wasn't sure what was going on. Because he remembered that conversation perfectly.

"You said something was wrong…" Albus said.

"Yes," James said. "Wrong. It's wrong for you to fancy Scorpius. That's wrong. I don't really know what to say about it Al, but… you can't get involved with him. Trust me."

Albus tried to process as his brain whirred around random facts that didn't make sense.

"Why are you being so bloody cryptic?" Albus demanded, whirling into a sitting position. Part of him desperately wanted to pick up the lamp on his bedside table and just throw it at his brother. But he figured that would be in poor taste…

"Because," James said. "I can't… I'm not in a position where I can say stuff, okay? I'm not. I don't even have all the facts, really and…"  
"James…" Albus said.

"What?"

"We're okay? You're not like… disgusted by me? Being gay isn't wrong in your opinion?" Albus questioned.

"Albus… you couldn't do anything that would make me not want to be your brother. You're my best mate, and I don't really care how your life is. Just live it the way you want to and don't be stupid. Just let yourself be happy. We're okay, Al," James promised him.

"Okay," Albus said. "That's honestly all I care about."

"I can't believe you thought…" James trailed off. "You have no faith in me."

"It was the way you said it," Albus said. "You were being a prick that entire conversation."

"Well for one thing, I had just broken up with my girlfriend," James said.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, you're far too dramatic," Albus complained.

"Hey, I really liked her," James said.

"I'm sure you'll find woman four hundred thirty-six soon," Albus assured him.

"Hey, for as long as you've never been kissed, I don't want your mockery," James said.

"Options are kind of limited at Hogwarts for me," Albus said.

"Still," James said, brandishing his finger threateningly. "I'll have as many girlfriends as I so choose before I settle down and make more little Potters."

"Yeah, no need to rush into that. I don't see you and fatherhood meshing well," Albus said.

And of course, James simply set a stinging jinx at Albus' face.

-CD-

Albus looked around at his whole family. Just the Potters. It was Christmas morning. Gifts had been exchanged, presents unwrapped and awed over. It was a typical Potter Christmas morning. But there was more on Albus' mind. He looked at his parents and he knew—he just knew—that he had to tell them—that he had to tell everyone he could…

Because there was something light inside of him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but some weird, giddy feeling had taken him over the evening before, when a recognizable, midnight black owl arrived at his bedroom window, bearing a note from the desk of Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

It hadn't been anything spectacular. It was a Christmas greeting from the Malfoy family to the Potter family, in some ways, to be passed on through Albus… but then it was just a note. A note asking Albus how he was, and if he was enjoying vacation. It wasn't typical or simply just good tact. Not in Albus' head. In Albus' head, every word of the letter cared about him. Scorpius cared about him.

It was, reading that letter, when Albus admitted everything to himself. It was the final resolution, the acceptance that, when he looked at Scorpius, he didn't look at a friend. He looked at someone he wanted to share everything with. Scorpius had taken him over, and Albus was alive with the possibility of what could be in the near future for him… If, he supposed, Scorpius could ever return those feelings.

But Scorpius… he was handsome, and attractive, and in a lot of ways, he was simply adorable, despite the wounded feel that always seemed to pulse around him. And that was where Albus' mind had settled—on all of those qualities.

"Mum… Dad…" Albus said. Lily and James were still upstairs getting ready to head to the Burrow. Albus was all set, always faster than both of his siblings. Albus was leaning against the doorway to their kitchen, tying his trainers.

His mother and father looked up at him from where they were packing all of their presents into a box to take to the Burrow.

"Yes, dear?" His mum questioned.

"I have something I need to tell you two," Albus said, finishing tying his one trainer and moving fully into the kitchen.

"What is it?" his father asked, immediately halting the present packing. Albus wasn't much of a talker, and he'd always sort of been able to deal with his problems on his own, without the interference or aid of his mum and dad. His sudden need to talk to them was certainly surprising to both of them.

"Um…" Albus said. "Well… I guess I've wanted to tell you guys this for a long time." He climbed up onto one of the stools at their counter. "I uh… just want you both to know this—Lily and James already do, but that's partly because Lily is the most nosy person I've ever met and James—"

"Al, believe me, we raised your siblings. We know how they are." His mum smiled at him. "Say what you want, Albus."

Albus took a deep breath, looking at both of them. He was happy with who he was. He had to make sure they knew that.

"I'm gay," Albus said, the two words sliding out in a heavy puff of air.

His mother looked at him for a moment. Then she cracked a grin, looking at Harry.

"He finally told us," she said, raising her eyebrows at her son.

"I know. It's about time, Albus, we thought you would tell us forever ago…" his father said.

"Wait… you _knew?" _Albus said, standing up. "Did James tell you?"

"No, no," his mum said, waving her hand to calm him down. "We guessed, Albus. In fact… we guessed a long time ago. We just knew. And we've been waiting for you to tell us…"  
"Oh…" Albus said. "Okay… wow. Am I really that obvious?"

"Albus, I'm your mother. It was very obvious to me. Not as obvious to your father until I pointed it out," she said, giving her sheepish husband an affectionate look.

"I just… I mean I'm happy with this," Albus said. "I'm not having any issues with this. I'm good… I just need to know if you two are…?"

"Albus, of course we are," his father said. "You're our son. We just want you to be happy."

"We love you, honey. We're glad you told us this, and we're glad that you are not struggling with this in any way," his mum said kindly, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Why are we all hugging?" Lily's voice cut through the silence of the kitchen.

"I told Mum and Dad," Albus explained, pulling away from his mother.

"Oh good," Lily said. "Now I don't really have to keep it a secret anymore. You know who else you should tell?"

"Rose," Albus assumed instantly.

"Of course," Lily said.

"You haven't told _Rose?" _his mum questioned, incredulous.

-CD-

"Wait, wait, wait," Rose said dramatically, holding up a hand. "Are you telling me I'm completely oblivious to the life of my best friend?"

Albus shrugged. "Did you know?"

Rose looked at him for a moment. "Would you prefer it if I said I didn't? Because that was sort of what I was going for…"

"So you know?" Albus demanded.

"Yeah," Rose said. "Only because I guessed. And I only guessed because I know you so well. People who don't know you as well as I do would have no idea, I promise. I only figured it out by talking to you for so many extended periods of times, Albus. I never brought it up, in case I was wrong but… yeah, I knew."

"I can't believe everyone knows," Albus said, glancing around at the rest of the family. He and Rose had shut themselves in a corner of a massive party tent in the Burrow's garden, with a silent bubble around the two of them.

"Not everyone knows," Rose said. "I'm pretty sure no one else has a clue… except for Teddy. I think Teddy has a pretty good idea. But that's because he lived with you so much… and he just knows you."

Albus glanced out at the man who had been like a brother to him his entire life. Teddy was holding his five month old baby daughter, Dora, in his arms while he talked to Albus' dad.

"Hmm…" Albus said. "Don't you think he's got to be a great dad?"

"Of course he is," Rose said. "He's just… he's a great bloke. I can't believe he named his daughter Nymphadora. I mean… it makes sense, sure, but the poor kid can't just go by Lupin, like her grandmother would have gone by Tonks. Lupin is completely different…"

"Eh… she'll figure it out," Albus said. "It's a nice thing though, naming her after Teddy's mum."

"I agree," Rose said. "They're like the perfect little family. I would kill to have something like Teddy and Vic have."

"How're things with Lorcan, then?" Albus said.

"Wait, wait, we're not done talking about you," she declared. "Albus… are you okay? Like… this isn't causing you some major crisis?"

"No," Albus said, laughing. "I'm good. I'm happy. Honestly, I'm just kind of… used to it. I accept it in myself and know I'll figure my life out, no matter what is presented to me."

"Al… I just wanted to let you know… if anyone figures you out, it will be for one reason. The way you look at Scorpius Malfoy is a dead giveaway. You really care about him, I can see that. I just… I don't know if he's in the same boat as you are… I just want you to be careful."

"I don't look at him in any special way…" Albus grumbled.

"Yeah you do," she said, giving him a crooked smile. "Sorry, Al."

"I know," he said. "I just wish I didn't…"


	25. Bring in the Big Black Raincloud

**Chapter 25: Bring in the Big Black Raincloud**

Scorpius waited patiently at a table in the Leaky Cauldron Pub. In front of him, a warm butterbeer steamed delicately. He felt bad for starting with Albus, but he had been out in the cold and wanted to warm up. The door to the pub swung open, bringing with it a gust of cold air and a flurry of snowflakes. Outside, Boxing Day was probably the most frigid day of the winter, to this point.

Albus stepped through the door, brushing snow out of his jet black locks. Scorpius' heart fluttered a little upon sight of him, but he tried to calm himself down.

"Hi," Scorpius said, moving in and doing something he had never done before. He gave Albus a tight hug in greeting. Albus, although a little taken aback, did not seem upset by the greeting, even though Scorpius regretted it instantly. Albus smelled too good—he smelled warm and clean and there was just something about it that made Scorpius' blood tingle.

"Hey," Albus said. "How are you?"

"I'm great," Scorpius said. "And yourself?"

"Fantastic," Albus said, beaming at Scorpius as they both sat down at the table again.

"I hope you don't mind, I ordered myself a butterbeer. It was far too cold," Scorpius said.

"No, I don't mind," Albus said. "Have you been here long?"

"Just about ten minutes," Scorpius said.

"Am I late?" Albus demanded, looking at his watch.

"No, I was early," Scorpius said, chuckling.

"Oh," Albus said, grinning. "Sounds good then."

"So how was your Christmas?" Scorpius wondered after Albus had ordered himself a butterbeer.

"It was great," Albus said. "Liberating." He grinned brightly at Scorpius.

Scorpius raised a questioning eyebrow, but didn't press the subject. Clearly Albus was bursting to tell him something, but he was refraining in the present location.

"How was yours?" Albus asked, changing the subject with a crooked smile. Scorpius tried to calm his heart down. He was having a hard time. He didn't realize that he had missed Albus in the few days they hadn't seen each other, but it was becoming all too apparent that he had. He had written a letter to Albus and gotten a reply the very next morning. There was just something about the charming middle Potter that had Scorpius completely confused.

"It was great," Scorpius said. "Very quiet, just Mum, Dad and I. We have a tradition of sticky buns in the morning, and then our big Christmas lunch of ham and so much good food… There's always too much for the three of us. We eat leftovers for a small evening meal and then we're eating it for days on end…"

"We always have a ton of food for my whole family," Albus said. "It's excessive. But there are a lot of us…"

"Yes, there are a lot of you," Scorpius said, laughing. "So. Do you want your present now?"

Albus laughed. "Sure. I brought yours too."

Scorpius produced a large, flat package from inside his cloak. It was neatly wrapped in silver paper with a black and green bow.

"Slytherin colors of course," Scorpius said, smirking as he slid it across the table.

"Yeah? Well that's a coincidence," Albus said, pulling out a present wrapped in mat red paper with a gold ribbon around it.

"Fancy that," Scorpius said, accepting the present from Albus.

"You first," Albus instructed.

Scorpius pulled the wrapping paper off of the package and lifted the lid on the wooden box presented to him under the paper. Nestled on a velvet black cushion in the box was a golden amulet of sorts, with the symbol of an odd, feathered snake, hanging from a black leather cord.

"What is it?" Scorpius wondered.

"That's an ancient Aztec amulet of their chief deity, Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. Aztec wizards, though this is not highly documented, were of the belief that Quetzalcoatl would protect them from the cursed enchantments protecting the monuments and treasure stores of their conquered peoples. They're like… curse-breaking amulets…"

"That's really fantastic, Albus," Scorpius said, looking fondly up at his friend. "You honestly shouldn't have… I mean… how did you even get a hold of this?"

"I have a fantastic uncle," Albus said. "Don't worry about it. I thought you would like it."

"Of course I like it," Scorpius said. "It's probably the best present I have _ever _gotten."

"I'm glad you like it," Albus said. "I really am." He grinned proudly.

"Now it's your turn… but I am completely second rate in comparison to this…" Scorpius complained as Albus started to undo the bow on his present.

He watched carefully as Albus undid the wrappings and pulled out the box. Albus lifted the lid on the box and pulled away the black tissue paper that cradled the gift he had gotten for Albus.

"Oh Merlin…" Albus said, letting out a low whistle. He carefully lifted out the mirror-like object.

"It's a Foe-Glass," Scorpius said. "I figure every Auror ought to have one…"

"It's extremely nice," Albus said.

Scorpius knew it was nice. He couldn't help himself. He completely splurged when he thought of Albus, and splurging meant a solid silver, gleaming perfect Foe-Glass with an intricate design etched into it.

"Thank you so much," Albus said, in awe, running his hand carefully over the edge of the glass.

"Of course," Scorpius said. "I thought you would like it."

"I more than like it," Albus said, giving him another crooked smile. This one seemed so warm, so thankful… and it just melted every ounce of sanity Scorpius had left in him.

-CD-

"I'm bloody nervous," Albus said as Scorpius pushed open the front door of Malfoy Manor, pushing it back for Albus to enter.

"Look, my parents are just normal people," Scorpius said. "My Dad's not even home right now. He'll be back for dinner, if you stick around."  
They were frozen from a trek around Diagon Alley, their cheeks ruddy from the cold, their fingers frozen in their gloves.

"Okay, okay," Albus said, following Scorpius into the house.

"Hey, boys," his mum said, poking her head out of a room when she heard them enter. Albus took in Mrs. Malfoy. She looked quite young, even though she had to be close to Albus' parents' age. Her golden hair, just a little more honey-colored than Scorpius', spilled down in light waves over the shoulders of a trim white blouse she had paired with black slacks.

"Mum, I'd like you to meet my good friend, Albus Potter," Scorpius said brightly, gesturing to Albus. "Al, my mum, Astoria Malfoy."

"It's very nice to meet you," Astoria said, walking forward and shaking Albus' hand gently, all while presenting him with a perfect warm smile.

"You too, Mrs. Malfoy," Albus said, smiling back at her, hoping he could dazzle her with his smile and feeling like he was fumbling all over the place already.

"Would you two like some hot chocolate, perhaps? You seem frozen," she said.

Scorpius looked at Albus and then answered for both of them. "Thanks Mum, but we're kind of riding a sugar wave from all the butterbeer we drank…"

"Yes, thanks Mrs. Malfoy," Albus said.

She smiled at them. "Let me know if you change your minds, okay?"

"Will do," Scorpius said. "Come on Al…"

They headed up a massive staircase to the second floor. It was weird. Albus thought he would get freaked out going into this place. His Aunt had been tortured here, many others had died in these walls. In many ways, he didn't understand how the Malfoys could still stand to live in a place with such a dark past… but then again… looking at the Malfoy's house now, it was anything but a torture chamber. It was warm, inviting… it seemed like a home. And part of him understood now.

"This is my bedroom," Scorpius said, pushing open a black door just a ways down the hallway. On a silver plate on the door, the initials _SHM _were inscribed in an ornate script. Beyond the door, it was a very teenager-like room. There was a big black four poster bed, but it was completely unmade. On the matching desk, books and papers spilled all over the place. A large Slytherin flag hung on the wall above the dresser, but other than that, the walls were peppered with Falmouth Falcons paraphernalia and a large variety of posters and postcards of different landmarks from around the world. A map hung in between all of them, dotted with silver pins in various places.

"Wow," Albus said.

"It's sort of a mess," Scorpius said, frowning at his desk. "But there's room in the chairs by the windows."

"It's cleaner than mine," Albus said. "Yours is bigger, so the junk can be spread out."

"Exactly," Scorpius said, laughing as they headed over to the windows where there was a pair of black chairs.

"So…" Albus said, moving a book out of the way to sit down. "James and I mended our problems. Turns out he didn't mean what I thought he meant."

"Really?" Scorpius said. "That's great. I always knew he had a great heart."

"He does," Albus said. "And also… I told my parents. And Rose."

"You told them?" Scorpius questioned.

"Yeah," Albus said. "I told them I'm gay. And… well they already assumed, actually…"

"They knew?" Scorpius said.

"Yeah…" Albus said. "I guess so."

"Wow," Scorpius said. "That kind of freaks me out a little… I wonder who just _assumes _about me…"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Albus said. "I'm more obvious than you are, I think… You're too… introverted, you know?"

"Yeah…" Scorpius said, crossing his arms. He looked vulnerable for a moment, and Albus' heart softened. "I'm not ready for people to know."

"I know," Albus said, giving him an understanding nod.

"I just…" Scorpius said. "I struggle with a lot of stuff. Not being gay… just… a lot of other stuff."

"What do you mean?" Albus questioned.

Scorpius shook his head, looking toward the window. With a wave of his wand, the curtains opened, revealing the swirling winter wonderland outside. His face had gone from a joking, attractive grin, to a dark shadow.

"Scorpius…" Albus said.

"Sorry…" Scorpius said, taking a deep breath. He turned back to look at Albus, cracking a grin, but the smile was gone from his silver eyes.

"What do you mean?" Albus wondered.

"I don't know…" Scorpius said. "Sometimes a darkness sort of… falls on me."

"Oh…" Albus said. His voice was quiet. If he was being honest, he didn't really know how to reply to that. He didn't even understand what Scorpius meant, let alone how to continue the conversation.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius said. "I shouldn't bring this big black storm cloud into our comfortable afternoon…"

"No, it's okay," Albus said. "We're friends. I can help you with your problems, you know. That's sort of what friends are for…"

"I've had friends try," Scorpius said. "Maggie… for one. Your brother, for another. He told Lily to befriend me, so I wouldn't be left to my own devices… Maggie… I just got to a point where, no matter how much she said it didn't affect her, I felt like I couldn't keep dragging her down with me. It was ruining her. She's so happy and bright… and I'm like a fungus. I destroyed that about her with all of who I was. I figured it was better if I dealt with it alone…"

"And what about my brother?" Albus wondered.

"He did a good job. But we still had a world in between us… there was still some stuff that didn't make sense about that friendship…" Scorpius said.

"Well… what about this friendship?" Albus wondered. "Doesn't it make sense?"

"Everything about this makes sense to me," Scorpius said, looking up at him. And for the first time, Albus felt like he was finally seeing into those silver eyes….


	26. Beneath the Ink of Your Tattoo

_**A/N: When you have FINISHED the chapter, make sure you read the author's note at the end!**_

**Chapter 26: Beneath the Ink of Your Tattoo**

"Scorp…" Albus said, leaning forward in his chair. "Talk to me."

"Why do you call me Scorp?" Scorpius questioned.

"Because…" Albus said. "I dunno. I like it. Do you not like it?"

"No… I like it…" Scorpius said.

"Okay, I'll keep doing it," Albus said.

"Okay," Scorpius said. "Al… I guess I'm going to confess something. It's something very few people know about me. Your brother knows, Maggie knows… my parents know… but I don't tell people. In fact, I hide it…"

"Okay," Albus said.

"I hide it with my tattoo," Scorpius said, rolling up the sleeves of his white button down. He looked at his own arms, the black cord on his wrist… the snake tattoo… He swallowed heavily and offered his arms out to Albus, insides exposed upward. Albus leaned forward a little more, and Scorpius felt his eyes drift closed as soon as Albus' soft hands touched his skin. Albus took Scorpius' tattooed arm in his hands, cradling it carefully as he examined them. Scorpius could feel his heart thudding in his chest, a reaction the touch from Albus, but also a nervous fear at what Albus would say to him.

"Oh Merlin…" Albus breathed after a moment. Scorpius hadn't realized Albus was looking so closely until he felt the hot breath on his skin. His eyes flicked open. So much of him wanted to retract his arms, roll his sleeves down and close himself up again, but one look from Albus, from those beautiful green eyes, told him that that would be impossible.

"Scorp…" Albus said softly, looking up at him. "Why are there so many scars…?"

"It's why I always hide them," Scorpius said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why I get so self-conscious about them…"

"What are they from?" Albus demanded. The notes of concern fluttered through his voice, worried, upset, almost fearful.

"I did them myself," Scorpius said. He couldn't even find the power to put anything behind those words. It was just a hoarse whisper. He was baring his soul to someone—another person he didn't want to tear down, but who he so desperately trusted…

"You did… them… yourself," Albus said the words slowly, and then his grip tightened on Scorpius arm. "What do you mean, Scorpius…? Why?"

"You know the feeling you get when you go outside in the cold—the reminder that you're alive?" Scorpius questioned.

"Yeah," Albus said, looking down at the tattoo.

"I needed that," Scorpius said. "I needed reminder. And if I felt the pain, or saw the blood… I knew that I was still breathing…"

"Scorp…" Albus said. "Why?"

"Because I would get so lost…" Scorpius said. He could hear his own pain seeping into his voice… the memories of what it was like to be lost in some weird world of darkness, surrounded by expectations and emptiness that he couldn't for the life of him understand.

"How could you get lost?" Albus said. He seemed so upset as he looked from Scorpius' eyes, down to Scorpius' arms.

"I can't…" Scorpius said. "I can't even talk about it… it kills me. You just need to know… that this is who I am… this is what happens to me…"

Albus took a deep breath, finally loosening his grip on Scorpius' arm. But Scorpius didn't try to retract it.

"I have a question," Albus said gently, his tone so careful.

"Okay," Scorpius said.

"Have you ever… tried to kill yourself?" Albus wondered.

Scorpius took a deep breath. In front of him, Albus' eyes were round, bright green, trying to see all of the things Scorpius was hiding inside of himself.

"I… once," Scorpius whispered. "But my heart wasn't in it. It was fifth year, and it was stupid and I shouldn't have done it, and it didn't work anyway, so it's not… If I wanted to do it, I would have. I used to think about it all the time… and then I just… I tried… but I know I didn't really wanted to. I freaked at the end, wanted to back out, didn't know what to do… I want to be here… but sometimes… sometimes I wish I could leave it all behind for a while."

"Why, Scorpius?" Albus said, almost sounding angry. "You can't… you can't feel like this…"

"Sometimes I just feel so dead," Scorpius said.

Albus took a deep breath. "You can't… No. I won't let you feel dead, okay? That's not okay! You need to talk to me… you need to let me remind you why you need to be here…"

"Albus… it's not your problem," Scorpius said.

"I don't fucking care if it's my problem or your problem or… anyone else's… I'm making it my problem because I care about you…"

"You can't change this," Scorpius said. "People have tried."

"Watch me," Albus said. He stood up, yanking Scorpius into a standing position next to him.

"What are you doing?" Scorpius demanded, unsure what was going on. But Albus was looking at him, a heated glance in those emerald eyes. Scorpius felt his heart flutter again… a reminder that he was in fact breathing. A better reminder than most.

"If this doesn't remind you that you're alive, I don't know what the hell will…" Albus said. And with that, he drew Scorpius closer to him. They were so close, Scorpius couldn't decide where to put his eyes. He wanted them to meet Albus' eyes, but then there were Albus' lips, not inches away from Scorpius' own. And in a matter of seconds, they were even closer. Albus had gripped Scorpius tightly and then… then they were kissing.

And it was perfect, of course. It was everything that Scorpius had imagined it would be.

But it was impossible for him to handle it.

"Stop," he said, shoving Albus away from him, breathing heavy. "Damn it, stop, Albus…"

-CD-

Coiled away from Scorpius, feeling the pain in his chest where Scorpius had shoved him away—metaphorical and literal, of course, Albus was ready to let the angry retort on the tip of his tongue fly free. But it was impossible. Within seconds of shoving him away, Scorpius was on the other side of the room, trying to hide his face from Albus… and based on Scorpius' shaking shoulders, he had started to cry.

"Oh Merlin…" Albus said softly, walking around the bed, approaching his shaking comrade. "Scorp…"

"Leave me alone, please," Scorpius said, his voice breaking behind his hands.

"No…" Albus said, reaching up to pull Scorpius' hands away from his face.

"Stop it," Scorpius said, wrenching his arms away. "You can't just kiss me."

"Why not?" Albus demanded.

"Because it was so fucking perfect…" Scorpius complained.

"Then why can't I do it?" Albus wondered, his voice gentle as he overpowered Scorpius and moved his arms down. He hooked his fingers inside those of one of Scorpius' hands, and the other moved up to wipe away the tears from Scorpius face. But Scorpius was still shaking…

"I don't know…" Scorpius said.

"It's okay," Albus promised, gently combing his fingers through Scorpius' hair, pulling Scorpius' head down to comfort him. Scorpius leaned his head against Albus' shoulder. Albus sighed. "It honestly is okay."

With that, Scorpius tilted his head back up. His glassed over eyes met Albus' green, earnest ones.

"You're so… just good…" he told Albus.

"If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm not that good," Albus said.

"If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm not in any shape to be anything to anyone," Scorpius said.

"Too bad," Albus said. "I'll put you in the right shape. I promise you that." He gave Scorpius his crooked smile. He hoped it was comforting, reassuring, something, anything.

It worked, maybe. Because at that moment, Scorpius kissed him again. Their lips met in perfection, a spark of chemistry between them. Albus felt the electricity between their lips as they quickly wrapped each other up in their arms.

And it was everything that Albus imagined it would be.

-CD-

The two boys were sprawled on Scorpius' unmade bed. Albus had his arms around Scorpius, Scorpius had his fingers wound into Albus' hair.

Albus wasn't quite sure if they had stopped kissing in an hour. That was all they had done, of course, but it was perfect. And it was so passionate that it had definitely required being horizontal… or so they justified. It was just perfect. Everything was perfect. Albus had found something he was quite certain he could do forever…

It was weird. His first kiss had happened. He had initiated it… with Scorpius. With someone he desperately had wanted to kiss… and it was everything. In fact, it almost seemed like he was good at it… Which he didn't understand how that could possibly be, as it was his first time kissing someone… but Scorpius didn't seem to mind. In fact… Albus was quickly learning from him.

"Wow…" Albus breathed as they came up for air, both of them panting heavily, chests heaving against each other.

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "Wow is a good word for this."

"How much time do you think has passed?" Albus wondered.

"I don't know," Scorpius said. "Not sure I care either. I think I could stand to stay here until the end of time…"

"Or at least until we had to go back to Hogwarts," Albus said.

"Always the academic," Scorpius teased, laughing.

"I'm glad I've cheered you up," Albus said brightly.

"You did," Scorpius said. "You really did. You've definitely found a good method to lighten my mood."

"I'm irresistible. Didn't I tell you?" Albus said, grinning. He was finding that his smile did weird things to Scorpius.

"You failed to mention that one," Scorpius said. "But I'm starting to catch on."

"I'm making it more evident," Albus said.

"Noted," Scorpius said. "Now be quiet would you?"

"Why?" Albus said.

"Because I want to kiss you again," Scorpius informed him.

"Good enough for me," Albus said, running his fingers through Scorpius' downy gold locks again. Scorpius smiled sheepishly at him and glued their lips together again.

Albus was liking this. He liked the twisting war their tongues were fighting, the feeling of Scorpius' lips sucking on his own, the idea that, no matter how long they kissed, it always seemed that some part of Scorpius' mouth was unexplored, uncharted territory. Occasionally, Albus would let his eyes flick open, and he would take in the look on Scorpius' face. It was mesmerizing, distracting, beautiful, almost awe inspiring. He was beautiful, and the look of his eyes, lids and dark lashes closed over them, dizzying and lost in some sort of ecstasy…

It was as if, in this hour or more that they had shared this… that the entire world had changed a little. Albus was seeing everything through different lenses. It was a new world, and Albus liked this world. He liked the little changes that he could see everywhere. For one thing, the entire place was brighter. It was a weird light, one he figured he was shining himself. But here it was just the same… and he would shine it for as long as it was inside of him.

They were lost in each other. They were lost in this eternal moment of bliss. They could've gone on uninterrupted for some time. Nothing could break them. Not the hoot of Scorpius' owl in his cage, nor the sound of the wind rattling the glass… the idea that they could possibly want dinner, the thought that they could maybe need to get up and get on with their lives…

For instance, they missed the two light knocks on Scorpius' bedroom door. And it was for that exact reason that Draco Malfoy decided that he would open the door without getting the anticipated reply.

_**A/N: Okay. So as for the first half of the story: I know some of you might be a little disgruntled with me. The decision to write Scorpius' character with this backstory was actually a really hard one for me to make. Whether or not you agree with me, well, that's obviously your own choice, but I implore you to keep reading either way. Also, hope you enjoyed the kissing! Love Cappy. **_


	27. The Darkness

_**A/N: Why did I post again today? That's right. Because I love my readers. You guys rock! Hope you enjoy the bonus chapter of the day. **_

_**However, that being said, I must say this: WARNING: Angst. There is some sucky stuff coming up. Just as a heads up. **_

_**Enjoy anyway? **_

**Chapter 27: The Darkness**

There is something to be said about the moments of utter horror that people experience in their lives. Scorpius had to say, he'd had very few moments of horror in the first eighteen years of his life… And in the end, he was certain that he would never experience true horror… True horror was what was felt by the people who watched as Death Eaters killed their families, or when they came face to face with Voldemort.

But Scorpius had to say, with all the horror he was likely to experience in his life, this was probably the crowning glory.

He and Albus sat bolt upright on his bed. Thankfully everyone was still fully and mercifully clothed…

His father stood in the doorway, his jaw practically at his knees. He looked purely dumbstruck, torn between leaving the scene in desperate haste, or just trying to decipher what he was witnessing by staring a little while longer.

Scorpius cleared his throat, hoping the terror wouldn't ring in his vocal chords. "Hi Dad. This is my friend… Albus Potter."

His father opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, contemplating for a moment. Then he turned and rushed out of the room, calling "Astoria!" as he went.

"Oh fuck it all," Scorpius complained, tightening his hands into fists and slamming them into his mattress like a child having a tantrum.

"Maybe I should go…" Albus said, sliding away from him slowly. He had a look of sheer terror on his face. Scorpius was sure Albus had no idea what to expect from Mr. Malfoy, as far as a reaction was concerned.

"You're not going anywhere," Scorpius snapped, hooking his hand around Albus' wrist and trapping him there.

"Okay…" Albus said. "Is there a chance your father might try to hex me? Because I honestly need to be prepared. I'd really like to not be castrated today, if it's possible to avoid it."

Scorpius figured, if he wasn't traumatized, he might have laughed at that. But as it was, he was traumatized.

"You're not going to be castrated," Scorpius said. "I don't really know how I'm going to handle this, because quite frankly, I'm not ready for my parents to know, and I can't stand the idea of them knowing this, of anyone knowing this, I can't stand their judgment or what they might say, or how they're going to look at me, knowing all of the expectations they've had for me, all of the expectations the world has had for me over my life…"

"You need to breathe," Albus said, putting his hands on Scorpius' shoulders. "Breathe. Breathe. Deep breaths, please."

Scorpius looked up into Albus' calming face, taking a deep breath as he was instructed.

"Don't freak out," Albus said. "I know this is everything you didn't want, but you need to not hyperventilate, or you'll never get through this, okay? I'm going to be right there. I can calm you down, if I need to. Now… I think you might need to fix your hair a little. It's a little rumpled, and we ought to look presentable."

"How are you so collected?" Scorpius demanded. "I'm freaking out, here…"

"I know you are," Albus said. "But I don't care. I don't care who knows I kissed you. I'd like the world to know it, actually. I know you're not good with that, but I'd like your parents to know that there's someone out there willing to spend time with you—maybe make you happy."

"Well the fact that you have something other than a vagina between your legs, sort of nullifies any outstanding qualities you have in the other categories," Scorpius said. "Come on. We better head down there… We ought to face this…"

"Yes, we ought to," Albus said, flattening his own hair out a little.

He climbed off the massive bed, straightening his shirt and trying to smooth any wrinkles in it. Scorpius checked his reflection in the mirror on the back of his door and they stepped out in the hallway, ready to face the fates that were in front of them.

"I don't think I can do this," Scorpius whispered.

"Too late," Albus said. "There's no going back now. They know what we were doing…"

"Yes, but they're not going to be okay with it," Scorpius hissed as they headed toward the stairs.

"If they're not okay with it, you can spend the rest of the holiday at my house. You can have James' room…"

"I couldn't do that," Scorpius grumbled.

"You shouldn't have to," Albus replied as they began to descend the massive staircase.

"They must be in the sitting room," Scorpius said.

"They're your family. They'll love you no matter what."

"They're my family. They expect more of me than anyone else—no matter what."

"Calm down and just… be honest about it," Albus said.

"Oh hey Mum and Dad, I'm a total queer, Happy Christmas!"

"Oh shut up. You're being a prat. Don't be so offensive toward yourself. If you act homophobic, they're going to do it too."

"I wouldn't actually say that," Scorpius grumbled.

"Well, I'm sorry, I don't quite know what to expect from you—if I'm being perfectly honest."

"If I'm being perfectly honest, this could be the end of me right here. My parents would rather have… a squib son than a gay son."

"I don't believe that," Albus said.

"Watch this, then," Scorpius said, pushing open the door to the manor's parlor.

-CD-

The Malfoy's parlor was a brightly lit, beautiful room. It was a light buttery color, with champagne curtains and a massive roaring fireplace that was going full blast. It was warm, comfortable. But the atmosphere was decidedly tense. Mrs. Malfoy sat in one of the chairs. She had a pair of narrow, golden rectangular spectacles perched on her narrow nose, but her book was lying open on the arm of her chair. Her husband stood next to her, clearly telling her an intense story… but the entire picture froze when Albus and Scorpius entered the room.

Draco Malfoy turned to look at them, putting his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He looked at the two younger men in the room, his pointed, pale face expressionless.

"Dad—" Scorpius said. Draco's gaze snapped to his son. "Dad, just listen to me for a second… what you saw… Dad…" Scorpius lost his words then, staring at his father, unable to speak. Albus watched him, watching him fall into helplessness.

"Mr. Malfoy," Albus took over. "What you saw was exactly what it looked like. But I'm not saying anything more. That's for Scorpius to tell you and not for me. But I can simply ask you, as someone you have never met… to allow me to be your son's friend… because…"

"Friends?" Draco Malfoy cut across Albus. "Is that what you call it? You, Potter, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Dad!" Scorpius snapped, finding his voice. "Leave him alone. Albus… Albus is just standing up for me. But he shouldn't have to… Dad I'm gay. Mum I'm gay."

Albus watched Scorpius carefully. He could see him hyperventilating on the sly, breathing picking up, his chest wracking in regular bursts. If Albus looked closely, he could see the sweat break out on the back of Scorpius' neck. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn that Scorpius was going to pass out right then and there, flat on the floor in his parents' parlor.

Meanwhile, of course, the simple words were sinking in on the Malfoy parents. It seemed that they, unlike Albus' parents, had not the slightest clue that their son was gay. Their faces fell into masks of shock. As if, despite what they had just witnessed, they were waiting for some sort of contradicting fact, for someone to look at them, laugh and say "Just kidding." But now, they were realizing, that was not going to come for them…

Mrs. Malfoy looked up at her son, her lips forming words but nothing coming out. Mr. Malfoy had gripped the back of his wife's chair in his long fingers, squeezing it until his knuckles were frighteningly white.

Scorpius started to sway on the spot, and Albus didn't quite know what to do that wouldn't make that situation worse than it was.

"Gay," Draco Malfoy repeated the word. It was the only word that had echoed in the room the entire time they were in here. Now, it seemed to reverberate off of every surface. It turned Scorp's skin green and he cringed at the sound.

"Yes," he said softly.

Albus looked at him, watching him look at the floor, completely ashamed of himself.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Albus said gently. But Scorpius kept looking at the ground, as if he had to be sorry for being who he was, as if bowing his head was an apology for bad behavior.

"You're corrupting him," Mr. Malfoy said, turning his gaze, grayer, less silver than his son's, onto Albus.

"No he's not," Scorpius said. "I said leave him alone, Dad. This has nothing to do with him. This has to do with me. And the person who I am."

"We didn't raise you to be this way," His father snapped.

"You didn't raise me to be anything but a clone, a statue," Scorpius said. "In a real world, you would be a father to me, but I guess this isn't a real world."  
"You don't mean that," his mother said instantly, standing up and contributing to the conversation for the first time.

"Of course I mean it," Scorpius said. But his voice broke, and some inexplicable power had his head bowing again, shame creeping over him.

"It doesn't matter Astoria," Draco said. "I'm not his father, he is not my son. This is not my son."

Draco Malfoy stalked past them then, out of the room. The door swung shut behind him with a bang and a click. Albus stood, shocked at what he had just witnessed. For a moment—a fleeting moment—he had thought that Malfoys couldn't possibly be bad. They had Scorpius for a son, and he was such a great person… they would have to see that… But Draco Malfoy was blinded…

Astoria began to stride across the room as well, following the path of her husband. She looked at her son as she passed the two of them.

"Perhaps you ought to stay somewhere for a couple of days," she said to Scorpius, before she strode out the door, closing it behind her again.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Scorpius said, putting his hand over his mouth.

"It's okay," Albus said, reaching for him, taking Scorpius by the shoulder's again. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Scorpius said. "This is why I never wanted to tell anyone!"

"It'll be all right," Albus said. "They'll come around, you'll see." He knew no such thing, of course, but he also knew that Scorpius needed to hear it, whether it was true or not.

"Can I come to your place?" Scorpius asked softly.

"Of course you can," Albus said.

"I just… I don't think I can do this," Scorpius said. "I don't think I can handle this. I'm not supposed to be gay, Albus. I can't put up with this—with my parents, with the hate that so many people have… it's not fair."

"I know… but you have to put up with it," Albus said. "I know it's terrible, Scorpius. But..."

"When you told your parents you were gay, they said they already knew. They told you they loved you, and that it was okay," Scorpius said. "_This _is what I get!" He pointed to the door out of the room. "This is the darkness I live in. Don't you understand why that is why you're happy and this is why I am so bloody far from happy…? This is what falls upon me… this is what I can't handle. This is why I have that tattoo."

Albus looked at the snake tattoo for a moment, because he had nothing he could say.


	28. The Intuition of Lily Luna

**Chapter 28: The Intuition of Lily Luna **

The Potters were hospitable people. When Scorpius and Albus showed up at their house, Albus asked his mum if Scorpius could stay with them for a little while. Ginny Potter didn't ask a single question, but gave an instant yes. Until James was back in his flat in London—he was spending a couple of days with the family—Scorpius was going to sleep in Albus' room on a cot.

"Are you okay?" Albus asked as he made Scorpius' cot up by magic.

"Yeah," Scorpius said, rubbing his face with his hands, where he sat on Albus' bed. "I mean… I knew he would react that way."  
"That's no excuse for it," Albus complained, waving his wand once more so the pillow settled neatly on the bed.

Scorpius shrugged. "That's how my dad is."

Albus shook his head. "They're your parents."

"So what?" Scorpius sad. "That doesn't mean much to me."

Albus sat down next to Scorpius on his bed. "What _were _we doing, Scorpius?"

"We were kissing," Scorpius said.

"Thanks. I hadn't realized," Albus said. "I mean… what does it mean?"

"Do we have to dissect it?" Scorpius demanded. "Can't we just be happy in it? I'm trying not to regret it right now, Albus… It was… amazing… but…"

"Am I allowed to do this?" Albus wondered, hooking his fingers carefully into Scorpius'.

"Yes," Scorpius said, squeezing Albus' hand.

"Okay," Albus said. "I'm just going to do that then."

"Okay," Scorpius said.

Albus' thumb rubbed soothing circles in the back of Scorpius' hand, a soft rhythm that carefully relaxed him. Scorpius liked the feeling, the calming gesture, gentle caress of someone he realized he could really care about… If he just let himself take the chance.

"You know… that was my first kiss," Albus said.

"Really?" Scorpius said, looking up at him. "Wow. How did it measure up to your expectations?"

"It blew them out of the water," Albus said.

"Good," Scorpius said, managing a small smile.

"Yeah," Albus said, smiling back at him. "Did you like it?"

"Of course," Scorpius said, chuckling.

"Well… I think we're going to have dinner soon," Albus said. "Maybe we should head downstairs."

"Okay," Scorpius said. "Are you sure I'm not putting anyone out at all? I'm sure your mother wasn't expecting to have to set another place at dinner…"

"It's fine," Albus said. "I promise. She's so hospitable. Same with my dad. That's just how they are."

"Okay…" he said. "If you're certain."

"I'm always certain," Albus said, smiling. "Come on."

They headed out of Al's bedroom and down the stairs, into the kitchen where Lily was setting the table for six.

"What did you make?" Albus wondered.

"Chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese," Mrs. Potter replied brightly.

"You're spoiling us, Mum," James contributed, walking into the room too, followed by Mr. Potter.

"I know," she said, smiling at them.

"Thank you for letting me stay here," Scorpius piped up again. Albus just rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Scorpius, if you thank me again…" Mrs. Potter said, shaking her head. "Of course you're welcome. Any friend of Albus' and Lily's and… well I suppose James' from what I've heard, is more than welcome here."

"I second that," Harry contributed.

The five Potters, plus Scorpius, tucked into the table then, ready to eat dinner. Ginny Potter was a fantastic cook. The food, while not fancy, really, was simply delicious homemade, homey food. It was comforting, delicious, and the sort of food that was made with the utmost care. Scorpius relished every bite, honestly. It wasn't that his own mother was a poor cook. She simply was less invested into it than Mrs. Potter was. It seemed as if Mrs. Potter cooked like she did to simply take care of her family and keep them well-fed and happy.

"So what are you planning to do after Hogwarts, Scorpius?" Mr. Potter asked him part way through the meal.

"I'm hoping to get a job at Gringotts, curse-breaking," Scorpius replied.

"That's so cool," Lily chipped in from her end of the table.

"You know, my brother was a curse-breaker for Gringotts until he met his wife," Ginny said. "Then he got more of a desk job here in England."

"Yes, Albus was telling me," Scorpius said, nodding.

"If you ever want to talk to him about it, I'm sure he would be more than willing," she said, smiling. "He loved it so much. He always said, once his kids were all through Hogwarts he might take his wife with him and go do it again."

"That would be really interesting, talking to him," Scorpius said.

"Oh I'll definitely let him know then," she said.

-CD-

Albus lounged on his bed, while Scorpius looked at the massive expanse of books he had shelved on the opposite wall.

"Did you go completely broke, buying all of these?" Scorpius wondered, pulling off a book. Albus glanced up, trying to figure out which book it was from afar.

"Nah," Albus said. "That's just a bunch of birthdays and Christmases over the years. A lot of them are my dad's, honestly, stuff from when he was in auror training. He said he never read many of them, but he knows I'm more of a reader than he is anyway. My dad's more of a wing it kind of auror. How he's head of the department in that way… well he's just a natural at it."

"Who decides if you get into the program?" Scorpius wondered.

"Well… usually my dad and my Uncle Ron are in charge of that, along with the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a woman named Natasha Roystev. I'm sure she does most of the decision making in a situation like this one, where I'm the son of the head of the Office."

"That make sense," Scorpius said, sliding the book back onto the shelf.

There was a knock on the door and it was pushed open before Albus could actually grant anyone entrance. Lily waltzed in casually, twisting to avoid the cot. She plopped on Albus' bed next to him and cracked a grin.

"What do you want?" he asked, just staring at her, at her casual attitude. Scorpius laughed.

"So," she said. "You two are adorable."

"What?" Scorpius yelped, practically dropping one of Albus' books on the floor.

Lily grinned smugly, looking up at Scorpius innocently as he fumbled for the book.

"Oh come on, Scorpius," Lily said. "You can stop acting now. I know my brother's gay. And I mean… I just sort of connected the dots with you."

"But I—I'm a man-whore!" Scorpius exclaimed, attempting to put the book back on the shelf and maintain his cool at the same time. Albus just rolled his eyes and laughed a little.

"Yeah, so what?" Lily said. "What difference does it make? Just tell me."

Scorpius shook his head, clearly stumbling around in his own head, trying to remember how to formulate a sensible sentence. Albus sighed, flopping onto his back, keeping his lips tightly sealed.

"It's the way you two were just looking at each other during dinner. It was weird. There was a weird sparkle in your eyes. And I will say, I have a fabulous gaydar." Lily shrugged, picking at a stray thread on Albus' quilt.

"Gaydar?" Scorpius echoed, horror lighting up his eyes. He dropped onto the cot.

"Yes," Lily said. "I guessed about Albus. I mean… it's just the way you two act around each other… That's how I figured it out. It's not like either of you are blatantly gay. It's you two together that does it."

"Do you think other people realize?" Scorpius wondered, his voice barely a whisper.

"Maybe Mum," Lily said. "James and Dad are too oblivious to that sort of thing to figure it out."

"I just… I can't… People can't know," Scorpius said. "I can't deal with people knowing about me. No one can know, Lily."

"I'm not going to tell anyone," she said. "Have a little faith, please."

"I know, I know," Scorpius said, calming himself down.

"How long have you two been… all cute?" Lily wondered, an excited—and a little wicked—grin taking over her face.

"Not long," Albus said. "Now stop bothering us, please, Lils."

"Am I bothering you, Scorpius?" she wondered.

"No," Scorpius said.

"So I'm simply bothering you, Al," Lily declared.

"You're very much like a four year old," Albus informed her.

"I'm just excited. That's all. And happy. For both of you," she said. "Is that so wrong?"

Albus sighed. "There's no reason to make a big deal out of things." He looked over at Scorpius, who was looking down at his knees on the cot.

"Are you two not happy about it?" Lily wondered. "I'm so confused. Will someone please tell me what's going on here?"

"No," Albus said. "It's none of your business. Scorpius and I need to figure things out ourselves, Lily."

"What is there to figure out?" Scorpius asked softly, getting up from the cot and walking over to sit next to Albus.

"I don't know," Albus said. "What are we even doing?"

Scorpius grinned at him. "We'll figure it out, then."

"You seriously are adorable," Lily contributed. "It makes me so happy, honestly."

"Lily," Albus grumbled.

"I'm just saying," she said.

Scorpius laughed. "Just promise you won't tell anyone Lily."

"Not James, not Mum, not Dad," Albus clarified.

"I won't, I won't," she said. "I promise. You don't have to worry about me. I'm the last person who would tell anyone, okay?"

"We trust you," Albus said.

"Meanwhile, this is what I'm thinking," Lily said.

"What?" Albus said.

"New Year's Eve Party," she announced. "I'll invite Andrew… and then there'll be you two… and Rose and then Maggie… and Lorcan, I suppose if he is still with Rose… And then… James. He'll probably just be here, Merlin knows he doesn't have his own friends."

"That's not a bad idea," Albus allowed. "What do you think, Scorp?"

"Sounds fine to me," Scorpius said. "I'm sure Maggie would love to come. She can't keep away from a party. Even a small one."

"I think it will be fun," Lily declared. "So I will invite Andrew and you two can do the rest of the inviting, alright? I'll tell James he's welcome, even though he probably," she sniffed, "won't want to hang out with a bunch of school children."

"The only child among us will be you," Albus pointed out.

"Yes but my boyfriend is old," she said, shrugging. "It negates it a little."

"No, it just makes it creepy," Albus informed her.

"Shut up," she said, hopping off his bed. "See you later boys."

"Bye, Lily," Scorpius said, chuckling as she sauntered out the door, closing it behind her.

With that, Albus looked up at Scorpius from where he was still mostly reclined on his bed. Scorpius looked back at him with brilliant silver eyes.

"Are you okay with secrets?" Scorpius asked gently, looking down at Albus with uncertain eyes.

"Yes," Albus said. "If that's what it takes."

"Okay," Scorpius said.

"But I'm definitely going to find a way to kiss you at the stroke of midnight, when we welcome in twenty-twenty-four," Albus said.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Scorpius said, giving a dry chuckle.

"Are you still doing alright?" Albus wondered.

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "I'll be fine. Like I said. It was nothing I hadn't expected."

"That doesn't make it right," Albus said. "That doesn't make it hurt less."

Scorpius shrugged. "I'll be okay."

"I don't know if I believe you," Albus said.

"You have to trust me."


	29. Give Him An Inch

**Chapter 29: Give Him An Inch, He'll Walk All Over You**

"Max," Scorpius said, standing at the doorway of his old friend's apartment the next evening, "I have someone to introduce you to."

"Oh really?" Max wondered.

"Yep," Scorpius said. He waved Albus over. "Max, this is my friend, Albus Potter. Al, this is my good friend, Max Wylie."

Max cracked a huge grin as he shook Albus' hand. "It's great to meet you, Albus, come in, come in both of you."

Scorpius and Albus filed into the apartment, Scorpius hooking his fingers around Albus' as soon as they were in the door. Almost immediately, Scorpius watched Max's eyes zero in on their clasped hands. Then his smile widened—which almost didn't seem possible.

"Well this is an interesting turn of events," Max commented.

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "I know."

"Well I'm happy for you," Max said. "Obviously. I think this is good. Now you can tell the world about this—"

"No," Scorpius said. "We're not telling people."

Max frowned then. He looked at Scorpius for a moment, raising one eyebrow. Before he could say anything else, however, the door to the bedroom swung open and Albert walked out buttoning up his shirt. He seemed startled that the company he and Max had been expecting was already there.

"Hello," he said brightly, walking over to greet them. He smiled. "Nice to see you again, Scorpius."

"You too," Scorpius said.

"Albus, this is my boyfriend, Albert. Albert, this is Scorpius' Albus—you know, the one he was talking about last time," Max said as Albus and Albert shook hands.

"You talked about me?" Albus questioned, smirking at Scorpius. Pinkness flooded into Scorpius' cheeks and he suddenly found himself pretending to be very interested in the ceiling.

"Perhaps a little," Scorpius said, clearing his throat.

Albus squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Well I'm glad you both could join us for dinner," Max said. "I'm a fairly decent chef, you know, so I'm happy to cook."

"I just wanted to make sure I introduced Albus to one of my greatest friends," Scorpius explained, shrugging.

"And rightly so, kid, rightly so," Max said, clapping Scorpius on the shoulder. "Let's head to the kitchen shall we? I think we need to talk about a couple of things—regarding you keeping your sanity, you know?"

"And what would that be?" Scorpius demanded as the four of them progressed into the small apartment kitchen.

"Why on earth you intend to keep whatever is going on between you two from the rest of the world," Max said.

"Oh," Scorpius said. "That."  
"It's fine with me, if that's how Scorpius wants this to be," Albus contributed.

Albert made a face. "Careful what you say. He'll walk all over you. I know the feeling. And these two are very similar people." He pointed between Max and Scorpius.

Albus laughed a little, but honestly, Scorpius wasn't sure if he knew Albert well enough to tolerate that comment.

"It just doesn't make sense to me," Max said. "How long have you too been… hand-holding?"

"A couple of days, honestly," Scorpius said.

"So we don't need to rush things," Albus said.

"But… why would you want to hide something like this from the rest of the world? If it makes you happy, you shouldn't keep it a secret," Max said. "That's just how I see it."

"Max… I told my parents I'm gay," Scorpius muttered.

"You did?" Max said. "Good. I'm glad. It was about time."

"They didn't take it well. I've been staying at the Potter's," Scorpius sad.

"Oh…" Max said. His face fell, and even Albert looked morose at those words. Albus squeezed Scorpius' hand comfortingly. Max cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Scorpius."

"I haven't spoken to them since," Scorpius said. "So I think I'll get over one hurdle at a time before I bring myself into more by proclaiming to the whole bloody world that I'm gay. I don't really want to deal with that yet."

"And I'm okay with that," Albus said.

"Yes but…" Max said. "If you're happy…"

"I don't want to ruin it," Scorpius said. "Doesn't that make more sense?"

Max shrugged. "I guess so…"

Albus squeezed Scorpius' hand again, comforting him.

"Eh, but you two make a good couple. It makes up for it," Albert said, shrugging. He grinned at Max. "Do you need help cooking?"

"I would only need help if you weren't the one giving it," Max replied.

Scorpius looked up at the two of them with a sigh. He couldn't help himself. They were just so happy in the little world they lived in. He figured that neither one of them cared what the rest of the world thought—they were content to be. They were good people, they were a good couple. A bit of Scorpius was envious. He didn't ever see himself being so lucky, to feel so comfortable, to know the world wouldn't mess with him. He just couldn't fathom having that kind of trust in the rest of the universe. He could barely fathom having that much trust in another person, but with Albus he was getting there.

-CD-

Scorpius looked up at the door of his family's house.

"I'll be waiting right here," Albus said, settling on the front step. "Come get me if you need some moral support, yeah?"

"Are you sure your parents are okay with me sticking around for the rest of the holiday, if need be?"

"Yes," Albus said. "Of course they are. Don't worry about it, Scorp. There's nothing to worry about."

"Except what they think of me," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the door.

"Only if you let that worry you. Only if you let it matter," Albus said.

"They're my parents," Scorpius said. "Whether they're great ones or not, it will always matter."

Albus shook his head. "Trust me."

Scorpius nodded and Albus gave him a quick kiss of reassurance.

"I'm sitting right here," Albus promised as Scorpius opened the door and stepped inside. He closed it behind him, concealing Albus from view.

His house was the same as usual. It was warm, inviting. For some reason, in the past two days, he had pictured it transforming into an austere and evil place. But it wasn't. It was still the place where he had grown up, where all of his good childhood memories were—as well as the bad ones, perhaps.

"Scorpius," he heard his mother's voice echo off of the stone walls hidden by all of the warm decorating. When it came down to it, it really was a great vault of stone.

"Mum," he said, turning to see her coming from the direction of the kitchen. She walked swiftly, throwing a hand on her cheek as she approached him.

"We need to talk," she said, seizing him by the wrist.

"What-?" he said as she dragged him toward the sitting room. She swung the door rapidly open with her wand and pulled him inside after her. His father rose from his chair as soon as he saw that Scorpius was there.

"We have a couple of things to say," his mother declared, pulling a handkerchief out of the bodice of the dress she was wearing. She used it to wipe around her forehead and under her eyes, removing invisible—and likely imaginary—sweat and tears.

"What?" Scorpius wondered.

"We have been thinking about them, the last two days," his mother futhered. "And we said that, when you came back, we would have some things to say… Draco…?"

"You are our son," his father said clearly. "Which means of course that you are always welcome in this house."

"Okay…" Scorpius said.

"But… we have a few requests to make of you," his dad continued. "We want you to make sure you have given the… heterosexual option a fair… chance."

"I have—"

"Don't interrupt me, Scorpius," his father said. "I am not finished. We would like you to encourage that side of yourself, refrain from thinking as you have allowed yourself to think. Please."

"What? Train myself to not be gay?" Scorpius questioned.

"I'm still not finished," Draco snapped. "We feel you are too young to know if this is the right path for you, and that you need to explore all options before coming to a concrete decision, which we know will be in the right direction. We trust you to go to the proper lengths. And most importantly, we would like you to refrain from being friends with the Potter boy."

Draco glanced at Astoria, who was wiping at her face again, looking deliberately at the ceiling. Only now, there was a visible sheen on her skin. She had broken out into sweats, possibly tears.

Scorpius looked down at his father—he was, after all, a good three inches taller than him. A weird brew of emotions was bubbling just under Scorpius' skin. The worst anger Scorpius had ever felt in his life was mixing violently with the pain of absolute rejection, the guilt at not being the son his parents wanted, the confusion… but most importantly, the rebellion. He could deal with the hurt emotions later. At the present, the anger and the rebellion were taking him over.

"Fuck the both of you," Scorpius said coolly. It wasn't loud, he didn't shout it. He simply said the words flatly, turning on his heel and walking out of the room. Neither one of them said a word, but he did, however, hear his mother start to delicately sob. In the end, she was his mum and he hated hurting her… but then again, in the end, he was her son, and she should never think any of those things toward him. He couldn't change who he was, and he knew that.

And they thought his very existence was wrong. They wanted him to be someone else, someone he could never be.

He ran up the stairs, knowing he didn't want to meet them in the hallway again on his way out. Once he was in his bedroom, he started to pack for Hogwarts, knowing he wasn't going to be back here before the start of the second term—hell, he wasn't even sure if the money from his parents would actually arrive for him to afford his second term at this point. They'd probably disown him for those last words…

He tossed things rapidly into his trunk, waving his wand at all of the things in his room, knowing he was bound to miss something, but hoping he could get the essentials. He tied a note to his owl, Ares', leg, sending him off to meet him at the Potter's. The weird concoction of emotions was still splashing around inside of him. One second he was near tears, the next, he nearly threw his entire trunk across the room. He wanted to take his parents and simply bash their heads together. They were driving him to an edge… and Scorpius wasn't sure he could handle edges.

He could feel it in himself. As soon as he got back to the Potter's he would break down. His mind was just not right for this sort of thing. It liked to make up its own reasons for things, and all of them usually ended up blaming him. He just… he couldn't be who people wanted him to be, and that had been eating at him for as long as he could even remember.

He took the trunk and charmed it out of the window, levitating it to the ground. He just couldn't stand the idea of looking into the face of his mother or his father again—especially his father. At the moment, all he could think of was how much he hated Draco Malfoy. How much they had never gotten along, and how much Draco had simply ruined everything.

Scorpius then opened the window wide enough for himself, hoping he would be able to cushion himself enough to keep from breaking something on the way down.

He hit the grass with a padded thud. He'd probably have a bruise, but that was it. Heaving his trunk up, owl cage shrunk to a more manageable size, he started around the perimeter of the house, looking for Albus. Just as was promised, Albus was sitting comfortably on the front step.

"What's wrong?" he demanded as soon as he saw Scorpius.

"Nothing," Scorpius said, but his voice broke at the end.

And then suddenly, he was in Albus' arms, and all he could do was sob.

"It'll be okay," Albus said. "Trust me."


	30. Quiet

**Chapter 30: Quiet**

"I like quiet parties," Maggie declared. "I know that might not seem like me, but I do. I like this. It's nice."

"Shh," Lily ordered her. "I need the utmost concentration."

Lily, Andrew and Scorpius were building a house of Exploding Snap cards. One ruined house in, and Andrew had actually tried to persuade her to use Muggle cards because of how much of a tantrum she had when the first one exploded on her. She said that took the fun out of it.

It was a quiet party, but Albus couldn't deny that it was nice. He was getting to know Maggie better, for one thing. Rose was there too, lamenting over her brief relations with Lorcan and how poorly those had ended. Maggie was definitely a part of that circle, complaining about being single just as much as Rose was. James was going to join them soon, because he actually said he missed Andrew and Rose and wanted to see them, like it was like old times again.

Albus was watching Scorpius intently. He knew it was a bad idea to stare like that, but… he couldn't help himself. He was so worried about him. Since he had gone home to his parents' house, Scorpius had been in a bit of a strange mood. His emotions were in fluxuation, and Albus was trying to monitor it carefully. Since Scorpius was staying at the Potter's house, Albus and Scorpius spent so much time together, so Albus was really becoming a firsthand witness to the changes in demeanor.

Albus was glad his parents hadn't asked for any real explanation as to why Scorpius wasn't going back to his parents' house. They just accepted that this was necessary and didn't ask questions. Albus' mum, however, had that acute mother sense of emotions. She had cornered Albus to ask him if Scorpius was okay on more than on occasion. Albus said he had it under control and that it would be fine. It was good though. His parents liked Scorpius a lot. They thought he was kind, intelligent, albeit quiet and a bit mysterious.

"Lily, here," Scorpius said, taking control over part of the house.

"See, this man knows what he's doing," Andrew said, elbowing Lily pointedly.

"Oh shut up," Lily said, elbowing Andrew back.

Albus laughed.

"You know, I thought it was a little weird, the age difference between you two," Maggie said to Andrew and Lily. "But I get it now. You guys are adorable. It's almost painful."

"I know, right?" Rose said. "They're a great couple."

"Well the real party is here now," James said, coming into the Potter living room, carrying a bunch of butterbeer for everyone. He passed them out and flopped down on the couch next to Maggie.

"Hey," Maggie said to him. "Did I ever actually meet you?"

"No," James said, laughing. "I'm James."

"Maggie," she said. "You may have heard of me."

"I have, actually," James said, shaking her hand.

"This is a big year coming up," Rose said. "Most of us will turn eighteen. Some of us will turn nineteen."

James shrugged.

"Not until the end," Scorpius said, laughing.

"Some of us will turn sixteen!" Lily contributed.

"You're such a kid," Albus informed her.

"I know I am," Lily said.

"Shit, most of the people in this room are going to finish Hogwarts this year," Maggie said.

There was a loud bang as the Exploding Snap card house exploded and flopped to the floor.

"Bloody hell," Lily complained. "I'm giving up then."

Everyone sort of broke off into little groups then. Andrew and Lily started making out in a corner, much to the dismay of both of her older brothers. Maggie and James were having an in-depth conversation about what she was thinking of doing after Hogwarts. So Albus, Scorpius and Rose created their own little group to have conversation in.

"Well the top of the class is sitting right here," Rose said, laughing as they sat in a small triangle on the floor.

"That's weird to think about," Albus said.

"It's nice to know that I'm number one," Rose mused.

"You've got such an enormous head," Scorpius informed her.

"I know," Rose said. "But it's totally justified."

"It is not," Albus said. "But whatever."

-CD-

The radio broadcast they were all listening to announced that the New Year was less than five minutes away.

"Is everyone ready for 2024?" Lily said excitedly, pulling Andrew up into a standing position.

"Every year, Lily gets more excited about the New Year than any of us," Albus explained, also standing up.

"Here, everyone," James said, cracking open a bottle of champagne. He waved his wand, summoning champagne glasses from the next room. They hovered in midair as he poured everyone a glass and passed them out.

The people on the radio notified everyone as the minutes went by. When the last thirty seconds were upon them the real number countdown began. Andrew seized Lily by the waist, ready to give her a kiss when the change of the years occurred. Albus sighed to himself, looking over at Scorpius. Scorpius looked back at him, frowning a little. They weren't going to get their midnight kiss, for certain.

"Happy New Year!" Albus, Rose and Scorpius chorused together as the countdown ended. The rest of the room was in a different state. Andrew and Lily were sharing a long drawn out kiss. More interestingly, however, James had pulled Maggie to him and they were laughing with each other at the end of their liplock.

"Well that's an interesting turn of events," Albus commented, looking at the two of them.

"Oh that's interesting all right," Scorpius said. "But I can see it working."

Whether it was going to work or not, James and Maggie had stopped giggling and had recommenced the making out.

"Hey, Scorpius," Albus said.

"Yeah?" Scorp said, looking at him.

"Come upstairs with me for a moment," Albus said, turning and disappearing out of the room. Scorpius followed him quickly. Rose was following them with her eyes, confused, but she didn't make any comments.

"Where are we going?" Scorpius wondered, following Albus into his bedroom.

"Well…" Albus said. "I wanted to kiss you at midnight. Which I didn't get to do… but… well… I was thinking this might happen… so I set one of my clocks back five minutes. So in this little world, for a moment, I suppose, it's still 2023."

Scorpius laughed. "You're so weird."

"Sorry…" Albus said.

"I didn't say it wasn't brilliant," Scorpius said. "It's very romantic."

"I try," Albus said, clearing his throat and blushing.

"Why are you blushing?" Scorpius asked, touching Albus' cheek.

"Because I'm still not sure where we are," Albus said.

"You've seen me cry about seven times now," Scorpius said. "I think we're somewhere good. I don't cry for just anyone."

Albus laughed and looked at the clock. "Eleven fifty-nine…" He took both of Scorpius' hands, smiling at him.

"In our own little world," Scorpius said, chuckling.

"So what?" Albus said. "It's good enough for me."

"Me too," Scorpius said.

The hand on Albus' clock ticked over to the midnight mark. He turned his head just a little to avoid knocking noses with Scorpius. With that, Scorpius slid his hands up Albus' arms, onto his shoulders as they started to kiss. For some reason, it felt so painfully romantic, like the whole world was being set right, at least for a moment. Scorpius' fingers slid into Albus' hair. Albus pulled him closer by the small of his back, one hand around him, the other hand on his chest.

"Happy New Year," Albus breathed when they pulled apart.

"Happy New Year to you too," Scorpius replied. "And thank you."

"For what?" Albus said.

"For everything you've done. For everything your family has done," Scorpius replied.

"No problem," he said. "We're used to feeding an extra mouth. We fed Teddy so much."

"I know, but it still means a lot," Scorpius said.

"Well, just so you know, you're more than welcome," Albus said.

-CD-

"How far do you have to go?" James asked Maggie as she pulled on her wool coat and wound her scarf around her neck.

"Just to Bristol," she said, smiling at him.

"Alright," he said. "Well hopefully I'll see you soon."

"You will definitely be seeing me soon," Maggie replied coyly. "Like before I go back to school."

"Just send me an owl," James said.

"Will do," Maggie said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping outside. She turned swiftly on the porch and disappeared.

Andrew followed her shortly, after saying his goodbyes to Lily.

"Love you guys," Rose said, waving at everyone before heading out the door as well.

"Bye, Rosie," Albus said, giving her a smile.

Then it was just the Potters and Scorpius. Everything had quieted down. The Potter parents had already gone to bed, leaving the four teenagers downstairs together.

"Well that was fun," James said, laughing a little.

"Did you break up with your girlfriend then?" Scorpius wondered.

"Didn't I tell you?" James said. "She dumped me flat. Ah well. I guess that's life."

"Maggie's a good person," Scorpius said. "So don't mess with her. I'll have to kill you."

"Oh I know," James said. "I don't mess with girls, Scorpius. Contrary to popular opinion. That would be you."

"Ouch," Scorpius said. "That was a low blow."

"Play nice, boys," Lily said.

"Eh, it's just as well… I don't know how well Gramps will take it if I tell him I've decided to date a Slytherin," James said, shaking his head.

"Hey, I take offense to that," Scorpius said. "We are _not _that bad. Stereotypes."

The four of them collapsed on the couch and the floor in the living room.

"That was fun," Albus said. "It was nice, even though it was just a small gathering."

"I agree," James said. "That was nice. And not just because I met a very awesome girl."

"Do you think Andrew might like me a little less because I'm so much younger than him?" Lily wondered.

"Where did that come from?" Albus demanded.

"I don't think he sees it that way," Scorpius said. "I know I don't know him very well but… it doesn't look like it to me."

"I know, but he's going to be leaving Hogwarts, and I have two more years," Lily said.

"I don't think it makes a difference," James said. "If you two care about each other, even if you can't stand having a relationship while one of you's out of Hogwarts and the other is still in Hogwarts… if you actually care about each other, it will work out sometime in the future."

"Okay," Lily said. "Man. I really shouldn't be getting worked up about this sort of thing."

"Nah," James said. "Go ahead. Get worked up about it. Relationships are weird things to deal with."

-CD-

"Hey Scorp?" Albus said in the darkness of the room. "Are you still up?"

"Yeah," Scorpius replied. "Can you sleep?"

"I don't know," Albus said. "I haven't really tried."

"Me either," Scorpius said.

In fact, Scorpius was finding that there were some things that were better than sleeping. If he just stayed there, really quiet, he could hear the sound of Albus' breathing in the air, the steady in and out. It was a calming sound, a steady rhythm like waves… Albus had just… been there for him over the past couple of days… and it meant a lot. It was nice to know he was there.

"I'm not too tired. I dunno," Albus said. "Maybe I should be. It _is _two in the morning."

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "Maybe I should be too."

Scorpius listened as Albus rolled over. Both of them were quiet. And quiet was okay.


	31. Floating Along in this Same Boat

**Chapter 31: Floating Along in this Same Boat**

"Good morning," James said brightly, sitting down at the kitchen table on New Year's Day. The rest of the house was still asleep, but James was awake and so was Scorpius.

"Morning," Scorpius said.

"What brings you down here so early?" James wondered.

"I wanted to read and Albus is still asleep," Scorpius said.

"Oh," James said. "Well… Good point. I myself have always been an early riser. Coffee?"

"Sure," Scorpius said.

"So how did you and my brother become such good friends?" James said as he started preparing the coffee on the counter.

"I dunno," Scorpius said. "It just happened."

"Yeah?" James said. "Huh."

"He's a good guy," Scorpius said.

"Oh I know, believe me," James said. He looked curiously at Scorpius for a moment, like he was trying to read Scorpius' mind.

"I know he's gay, by the way," Scorpius said.

"Ah," James said. "Yeah, I was wondering."

"I could tell," Scorpius said, laughing a little.

"That doesn't freak you out?" James said, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Scorpius said.

"And why would that be?" James questioned, pouring them both a cup of a coffee and putting one, plus cream and sugar, in front of Scorpius.

"Because I'm not a prick," Scorpius said.

"Ah…" James said, looking at Scorpius very knowingly. In fact, so knowingly it made Scorpius really uncomfortable. At that moment, he would have bet his entire personal vault at Gringotts that James had long since guessed about him… that he knew everything… The thought terrified him. It seemed like everyday more and more people had guessed and—

"So what happened with your parents, mate?" James asked kindly, finally easing up with the look. He sat down across from Scorpius and plopped a couple of sugar cubes in his coffee.

"We just had a very dramatic row," Scorpius said. "Nothing major."

"It was major enough to warrant you staying here for your whole holiday," James pointed out, stirring his coffee with his wand. A swift rapping on the window made them both look up. James rose from the table again to let in the Daily Prophet owl, grabbing a knut out of a little can by the stove to put in its little pouch. With the owl satisfied, James sat back down and started leafing through the paper.

"We just… disagreed over some things," Scorpius said, his stomach churning as he remembered the whole confrontation with his parents.

"What?" James said. "If you don't mind me asking. Come on, Scorpius. You used to tell me all of this stuff."  
"I know… but this is tough," Scorpius said, looking up at one of his greatest friends.

James grinned at him. "What? Is my brother a better listener than I am? Merlin… I never thought this day would come. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me, he always _has _been the quiet one."

"It's not a big deal," Scorpius said. "Look… James… you've helped me through a lot, you know."

"I do know," James said. "But hey, Scorpius… you did a lot for me too."

Scorpius shrugged. "It wasn't nearly the same."

"I don't think you realize it, honestly," James said. "Talking with you, what? Practically every day? It kept me off the edge of insanity. The whole world has a pretty good expectation for a Potter. I have to live up to my Dad, to my grandfather… to pretty much everyone I'm related to… And I knew, in my sixth year, that I wasn't going to be the genius auror they expected me to be. That's all Albus."

"James, you're already paving a huge path into the Department of International Magical Cooperation," Scorpius said. "That's not exactly less than exemplary."

James shrugged. "Still. You're a good listener too… I'll bet my brother doesn't need you to listen as much as I needed it though."

"It never seemed like you needed it," Scorpius said. "It just seemed like conversation to me."

"Hmm…" James said. "And here I was, always thinking I was talking about myself for hours. It's weird isn't it?"

"What's weird?" Scorpius wondered.

"How we Potters, and you, a Malfoy, are in such an oddly similar boat. There's so much that everyone out there expects from all of us…" James said.

"It's impossible to meet it," Scorpius said, sighing. He looked at his arm. Because he was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt, he had a perfect view of the snake tattoo… He frowned at it, knowing what it tried to cover up.

"It's impossible to meet the expectations that we _think _they have," James said. "Honestly, not even a year out of Hogwarts and I'm starting to realize I concocted most of those expectations out of thin air. My parents didn't care what I grew up to be, as long as I was happy."

"And that, James, is where your parents differ from mine," Scorpius said.

James was quiet for a moment, flipping through the Daily Prophet with limited interest. He yawned to himself quite largely and then looked up at Scorpius.

"On a slightly less related topic, I have one more thing to say to you, Scorpius," James said. He stood up, folding up the paper to leave it behind for whoever else wanted it, and cleaned his empty coffee cup with a wave of his wand.

"And what's that?" Scorpius wondered.

"We're friends, Scorpius. Even so, I want to tell you now: if you fuck with my little brother, I will have absolutely no second thoughts about destroying you," James said pleasantly, walking out of the room.

Scorpius watched him walk away with the acid in his stomach churning around painfully. Again, he was struck with the painful thought that James knew—that he knew everything.

-CD-

Albus found Scorpius sitting in the kitchen, reading the Daily Prophet. It was early yet. He probably had gotten a maximum of four hours of sleep. But there was no part of him that felt tired. The rest of the family was asleep, except for James, who was in his room, even though he had his own flat. It was like the oldest Potter had problems leaving home.

"Good morning," Albus said brightly, glancing around the kitchen. Scorpius smiled up at him, and Albus couldn't help himself. He leaned down and gave Scorpius a swift peck on the lips.

"Morning to you, too," Scorpius said, laughing. "There's coffee. James made it."

"Were you talking to James?" Albus said.

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "I'm glad you two resolved your problems. I like him."

"Some days, I like him too," Albus said, chuckling to himself as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Have you told him… you know?" He shrugged his shoulders indicatively.

"No," Scorpius said. "I can't do it."

"Fair enough," Albus said, sitting down at the table as his coffee cup steamed. "How long have you been up?"

Scorpius shrugged. "An hour?"

"Merlin, did you get any sleep?" Albus demanded.

"Enough," Scorpius said. "I'll get more tonight."

"I think I will too," Albus said, cracking a smile at him. "I just couldn't fall asleep last night."

"Me either," Scorpius said. "I don't know what it was. Part of me didn't really want to."

"I know," Albus said. "Which is odd… because I for one am a normal teenager who enjoys his sleep."

"It's probably because I get up in the middle of the night all of the time," Scorpius said. "That's when I wander the school, that's when I decide to go take a bath."

"Remind me to give you the password for the Head Boy's bathroom," Albus said. "It puts the prefect's bathroom to shame, and I can guarantee that no one uses it in the middle of the night."

Scorpius laughed. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Albus reached across the table, taking one of Scorpius' hands.

"Are you parents going to be up anytime soon?" Scorpius asked nervously, glancing in the direction of the stairs.

"We'll hear them coming. One of the stairs creaks," Albus said. "You would think we would fix that, being wizards and such, but my parents thought it would be good to make sure we don't ever try to sneak out."

"Where would you sneak off to?" Scorpius questioned, laughing.

"To go meet witches of course," Albus said, rolling his eyes. "James at least. And Merlin knows what Lily would get up to. I've always been too well behaved to sneak out. And if I wanted to, I would figure out how to do it without using the stairs. And without getting caught."

Scorpius grinned at him. "The smart child."

"That's me," Albus said. "Well… not necessarily. I'm the one that always thinks things through, you know? I contemplate which way to jump, what angle I ought to do it at, how much force I should put into the jump… and then I jump. James used to say that I would sit there figuring out _how _to jump, and by the time I reached a conclusion I was content with, the opportunity would be gone."

Scorpius laughed. "I can see you doing that."

"Oh come on," Albus said. "I can be spontaneous."

"I don't believe you," Scorpius said.

Albus frowned at him.

"And it doesn't matter," Scorpius said. "Sometimes it's good when people think things through."

"I'll prove it to you, at some point," Albus said. "I'll be spontaneous."

"Now you're going to start planning how to be spontaneous," Scorpius said, laughing even more loudly then. "I hate to break it to you, Albus, but that's not exactly the point… It doesn't quite work that way."

Albus joined in the laughter too, tightening his fingers more intensely around Scorpius' fingers.

There was so much of this that felt right. He had always wondered if there would be a question in his mind, an apprehension, when he came to his first relationship. He worried that he would analyze everything and he worried that he would judge himself and see some of his actions as weird. But everything he was doing now, with Scorpius, seemed completely natural to him. He didn't think twice about reaching out and taking Scorpius' hand. He hadn't given any real thought to kissing him that morning, other than to check to make sure no one was around. If anything, all of this was just further proof to Albus that he knew exactly who he was. He was gay, and that was completely fine with him. It was right.

"Did I mention that you have nice eyes?" He asked Scorpius suddenly. So maybe it was natural, but that didn't stop Albus from simply being an awkward person.

Scorpius barked a laugh at that too. "No, you didn't. But if we're talking about eyes, I'm sorry, but mine will never rival yours."

Albus was lost for a moment, trying to remember exactly the color of his eyes. He always thought they were pretty typical eyes, but maybe he was wrong. They looked like his fathers, and some people told him that he had his grandmother's eyes. But they had never been a spectacular shade to him. Maybe that was because he saw them every day. Still, green in any shade could hardly rival silver.

"But yours are silver," he informed Scorpius.

"Gray," Scorpius scoffed. "Yours are emerald!"

"See, I see it as green," Albus said.

"Emerald and silver," Scorpius said. He seemed to contemplate for a moment. "Slytherin colors."

Albus laughed.

"Looks like the Sorting Hat made a mistake with you," Scorpius said to Albus.

"No…" Albus said suddenly very thoughtful. "No, I'm definitely where I'm supposed to be. Gryffindor is right for me. Mostly because I asked for it."  
"You did?" Scorpius questioned.

"Yeah," Albus said. "Before my first year, I was so worried that I would be the only one in the family who ended up in Slytherin… and I begged the Sorting Hat for anything but… He and I actually had a long conversation. An argument, actually. Mostly with him telling me I couldn't boss him around. But I ended up in Gryffindor… And it's right. I know it is."


	32. Back to Hogwarts

**Chapter 32: Back to Hogwarts**

"I hope you know that the reason I'm not bringing this back to school is because I want to keep it safe," Albus said, placing his Foe-Glass carefully on one of the shelves.

"I know," Scorpius said, tucking his last cloak carefully into his trunk.

Albus closed his trunk too, latching it. Then he checked the latch on his owl, Calypso's, cage, barely waking her up.

"I'm exhausted," Albus said. "I shouldn't be tired." He grinned at Scorpius. The two of them had sat up all night, just talking about random things. It became a game of favorites, favorite colors, subjects, teachers, animals… They discovered that, if they became animagi, Scorpius would, without doubt, become an eagle of some sort, while Albus would definitely want to be a dog.

"I'm tired too," Scorpius said. "We can sleep on the train."

"Well… technically I have to do Head Boy stuff on the train," Albus said. "And you have to do prefect stuff."

The look Scorpius gave him seemed to say, "You really expect me to do that stuff? Really?"  
Albus just rolled his eyes. "Come on, we're going to be late and we've got to say goodbye to James before we head off to the station.

The Potter parents , plus James, were downstairs, waiting for all of them in the kitchen.

"See you soon, Albus," James said, getting up to give his little brother a tight hug and a slap on the back. "Write me a letter once in a while, would you?"

"You could do the same," Albus informed him. "See you soon, James."

"I'll probably show up at your next Hogsmeade weekend. I promised a certain witch a date," James said, giving him a grin. James had taken Maggie out the day before. They had started their date at four in the afternoon and James had told Albus, when he arrived at the Potter house to see his siblings off this morning, that the date hadn't ended until two in the morning.

"Okay," Albus said. "Well make sure you say hi to Lily and me."

"What about me?" Lily asked, coming down into the room.

"See you soon, Lils," James said, giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Behave with your boyfriend, or I'll have to have a conversation with him."

"Oh shush," Lily said.

"I second that, actually," Albus said.

"And Scorp…" James said, offering his hand out to Scorpius. "See you around too." He then pulled Scorpius into a quick hug too. "It was nice having you around."

"Thanks," Scorpius said.

"Alright," James said. "Well I'll see all of you soon, I'm sure."

"Yeah," Albus said as he, Lily, and Scorpius brought their trunks out to put in the car.

The ride to King's Cross was one mostly full of yawns. Scorpius and Albus were very tired, and Lily was leaning against Albus, half asleep from where she sat in the middle.

"You all seem so excited to be going back to Hogwarts," Albus' mum commented, leaning back to look at all of them. The sarcasm was evident in her voice.

"We're tired," Albus complained.

"I'm excited," Lily said. "But I wish I didn't have to do prefect stuff on the train. Because then I could sleep."

"Yeah," Albus said. "You have to do what I tell you."

"Hey… Al… as my nice and fantastic older brother, could you please tell me to sleep when we're on the train?" Lily wondered.

"No," Albus said. "I have to tell the prefects what to do so _I _can sleep."

When they got to the station, everything was as dramatic and chaotic as always. The Potters plus Scorpius fought through the crowd of early London commuters, trying to avoid the ogling eyes of people who couldn't believe they'd already seen about ten owls today and here were three more!

One by one, the members of the group slipped covertly through the barrier and onto the platform. The hustle and bustle that greeted them was an amplified version of that which had been on the Muggle side of things. The hoots of what felt like a thousand owls cut through the air, combined with the yowling of angry cats in baskets. Mothers kissed their kids good-bye as they climbed onboard the train.

"Alright," Albus' mum said, smiling at her two kids, and of course Scorpius. "Have a good term, all of you. Don't forget to write. If you decide you want to come home for Easter, let us know, and we'll be here to pick you up."

"Will do," Albus said, leaning in to give his mum a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you," she said.

"Love you too," he said.

Albus hugged his dad too.

"Do well on your NEWTs, Al, and make sure you get that auror application in on time," his father cautioned.

"I will," Albus said.

"And Scorpius," Albus' mum said, turning to the odd third wheel child. "If you need a place to come for Easter, or for summer, or anything, do not feel that you are imposing in anyway. You are more than welcome at our house, anytime."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Potter," Scorpius said. "And you too, Mr. Potter."

"Of course," Albus' dad said, offering his hand for a man-to-man handshake.

Albus' mum then swept Scorpius into a tight hug. "I don't know what happened with your parents, Scorpius, but if you need anything at all…"

"Thank you," Scorpius said. "Thank you for letting me basically join your family for the majority of the holidays…"

"Anytime," she said, smiling at him. "You have a good term too. And good luck on your NEWTs."

"Thanks," Scorpius said.

"Well I gotta get on the train," Albus said. "I have some prefects to boss around. That means you two." He looked pointedly at Scorpius and Lily.

-CD-

The Head Boy and Head Girl were lucky enough to have a private compartment for the two of them on the Hogwarts Express. It was kind of nice, Scorpius thought, because it meant, once Rose had vacated, there was a place for Scorpius and Albus to catch a nap and a little alone time. Albus cast a charm that would alert them if someone came within twenty centimeters of the door.

Until that point, however, Scorpius was leaning against Albus' side, half asleep as the train rumbled underneath them. Albus had an arm sloppily flung around Scorpius' shoulders, leaning against the window, half asleep himself. They were having a little conversation, but it was nice to kind of relax—as if they hadn't been relaxing all during the holidays.

"You're very comfortable," Scorpius commented.

"Mm… good to know I make a good pillow," Albus said.

"For future reference," Scorpius said, tilting his head to smile up at him. Albus sighed.

"Yeah…"

"What's the sigh for?" Scorpius demanded.

"Because when you look at me like that, I want to kiss you," Albus said.

"What's stopping you?" Scorpius wondered.

Albus seemed to take that as an invitation. He tilted his head so that he was basically kissing Scorpius upside down. Scorpius laughed against Albus' lips, twisting around so that he was at the right angle. Albus smiled at him, pushing him over onto his back. Albus leaned over the top of him.

"I could do this all day," Scorpius said after a minute, looking up at Albus.

"Well we have a decently long train ride…" Albus said.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep?" Scorpius questioned.

"Pretty sure I'd much rather be doing this," Albus said, sliding his hand around one of Scorpius', twisting their fingers together. Scorpius' other hand slid up Albus' side and chest and he felt his heart pick up at the feeling of Albus' taut muscles through his shirt. He felt the distinctive, untimely tightening in his pants. He hoped Albus didn't notice…

It was as if they were living in their own little world. The Head compartment on the train was an encapsulated universe, rocking on the smooth silver tracks underneath. It was odd. Outside of that little room, the rest of the world continued on without being any the wiser. No one had a clue what was going on—except for maybe Lily, but apart from her…

It couldn't last forever, of course. Rose showed up, causing the charm to go off… Albus and Scorpius both had to get back to the real world, to their duties as Head Boy and prefect. They did a quick change into their robes, getting ready to guide anyone with questions, make sure no one got out of hand, and basically get everyone back to the castle in one piece. Albus had to go off and delegate with Rose. But it was fun to watch him. He knew what he was doing, he was in charge. Scorpius found it very attractive.

All of Hogsmeade was covered in a thick layer of snow. Some first years were up to their knees. Scorpius and Lily took over blasting paths to the carriages so no one got frostbite or really soaked themselves through. After a lot of bustle and one instance of Scorpius having lift an impacted first year out of a snow bank, Scorpius finally got in the last carriage with Lily, Rose, Albus and Maggie.

"Well it's officially cold," Maggie said, drying the hem of her cloak with her wand.

"Yes I think that's the word they use when the weather is like this," Albus said, sticking his hands into the depths of his cloak.

"It's good to be back though, isn't it?" Lily said, looking over at the massive expanse that was Hogwarts castle. "I miss it every time I leave."

"This isn't even a good type of cold," Scorpius complained, watching his breath billow in the air in front of him.

"No, I agree," Albus said. "This is the painful kind of cold. How far into the negatives do you think we've plummeted?"

"Negative twenty, if I'm guessing," Rose said. She drew out her wand and whipped it above her head a couple of times. Immediately, the carriage was encompassed in a bubble of warmth.

"Good thinking," Scorpius praised her, feeling finally like his nose wasn't going to fall off and drop to the floor of the carriage.

"I try," she said.

"You'll have to teach me that one," Albus told his cousin.

The ride up to the school wasn't too long, and with their carriage at least protected from the harsh winds and a little warmer than the outside air, it was certainly less miserable than it could have been. Their group hopped out of the carriage when it finally made it to the Entrance Hall, and everyone started in for the return feast that awaited them. As they waded through the crowds of people, the main thing on Scorpius' mind was getting a nice hot plate of some sort of food and just filling his stomach with it. But there was a little bit to do first.

Everyone was in the midst of the chaos involved before dinner, getting their cloaks off, finding friends they hadn't found on the train. It was all very chaotic and stressful.

Weaving through the mass of people was one other person in particular—someone Scorpius had managed to avoid since the last night before the holidays. His stomach plummeted as he caught sight of her. Bex Overton was forcing other people aside, looking just as neat, pretty and feminine as always. A straight man would have been happy to be the target of her affection.

But as Scorpius was not straight, and he _was _walking into the Great Hall with Albus, he was not pleased. In fact, he was mortified, because as soon as she saw him, Bex Overton walked right over to Scorpius, and gave him a big, sloppy kiss.


	33. Honesty, A Good Idea

Chapter 33: Honesty. A Good Idea

Albus knew a lot about Scorpius. He knew Scorpius was gay. He knew Scorpius wasn't interested in women. And he knew that Scorpius was interested in men, Albus in particular. In fact, after the train ride and the amount of kissing they had done in that time, made Albus very aware that Scorpius liked him quite a bit. They were in a relationship of sorts, as secret as it might have been.

Despite all of these things, however, Albus could not keep his heart from plummet in his chest, crashing somewhere on the floor. He watched that whore of a sixth year suck on Scorpius' face and he physically cringed.

Because, no matter what he knew about Scorpius, he knew a lot of other things too. He knew that Scorpius had had a million and one flings with various girls in the past. And it just seemed like Bex Overton was another one on the list. And Scorpius had his act to keep up. He had his image to keep up, and Bex Overton was probably just a part of that. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, Scorpius was a straight player.

He felt a slight pressure on his arm and turned to see Lily there. She gave him a small, sympathetic smile. She jerked her head in the direction of the Great Hall and he nodded, sighing, before he decided to follow her in there.

-CD-

Scorpius forced Bex away from him. "Bex… I can't…"

"But—" she said, but Scorpius was already turning away from her, looking for Albus. But Albus had disappeared into the throng of people.

"Scorpius…" Bex said, hooking her hand onto his shoulder.

"Not right now," he snapped at her.

"Why didn't you write me over the holiday?" she demanded.

"Not right _now," _he growled, turning away from the mess of the Great Hall and heading away from all of it.

He headed down the stairs to the dungeons, suddenly very warm. But his heart was thudding with adrenalin and his mind was whirling around. All through the holidays he had found it possible to forget about Bex, like he'd been able to forget about all of the other girls he had experienced in his time. That had been unexpected however, this sudden crash of remembrance hitting him. He shouldn't have done anything with her. It was a mistake.

Some crazy part of him was screaming, saying he'd cheated on Albus. They hadn't even been anything near together at that point and yet the guilt was eating him like acid from the inside out.

He spat the password to the stone wall concealing the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. He stomped through the vacant space. A fire was roaring in the fireplace already and a serene calm suddenly washed over Scorpius. This was his home. This was where he belonged. He ruled here. He was the Slytherin prince. People liked him, they let him be, they respected him and they didn't mess with him. Here he could define his life, because no one would question the definition.

He plopped himself in one of the chairs by the fire, leaning back and closing his eyes. The silence was overwhelming but welcome… a strange mix. Scorpius was just being punched left and right by everything was going on around him. He felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing him. Sometimes, he could ignore it, bury it all underneath whatever he was sharing with Albus, or his friends, or just the Potter family as a whole. But when left to his own devices, Scorpius could feel it, sharper than anything else around him. It was that pain he got from being rejected by his parents.

It was eating him up. But he was a lot older and a lot smarter than he had been in his fifth and sixth years, when all of his problems had taken him over… He couldn't let that happen to himself. He wanted to take fifteen and sixteen year old Scorpius and throttle him.

The sound of the wall opening up jerked Scorpius back to reality. He looked around in time to see Albus coming through the common room entrance, a determined look on his face. Albus' eyes zeroed in a Scorpius.

"How did you get in here?" Scorpius demanded before Albus could even open his mouth. Albus stopped with his mouth half open, and he frowned.

"Maggie," he explained. "But never mind that. Scorpius…"

"I'm sorry," Scorpius spouted, again cutting right across Albus.

Albus walked into the room, sitting down in the chair next to Scorpius.

"Is there some stuff we should talk about?" Albus wondered.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius questioned, looking over at Albus.

"I… I'm sorry," Albus said. "I guess I'm just… Confused."  
"I'm not interested in her, if that's what you think," Scorpius said.

"I didn't think you were _interested _in her," Albus said. "I just want to know what lengths you're willing to go to in order to maintain this illusion."

"Albus…" Scorpius said. "Listen to me for a minute, okay? I'm going to be honest here."

"Well that's good," Albus said, smiling at him. The smile was good. It was reassuring that there were no real problems here—just very real questions.

"Right before break… I slept with Bex," Scorpius said. "It was stupid of me. I was just drunk and I was horny and… it was wrong. But I did it. And it seems I sort of gave her the wrong idea, I suppose…"

Albus nodded for a moment. Then he said, "I don't understand how you can do it."

"How I can do what?" Scorpius questioned.

"How you can just… sleep with girls. I don't find them at all physically attractive," Albus said, shrugging.

"It's never about attraction for me," Scorpius said. "I'm perpetually horny. I don't really know why. I get really frustrated then, and well… girls are the only option around here for relieving the frustration. More than my hand, I mean." He smirked for a moment, a dry smirk. "They never quite do it. I'm never really satisfied. Because the whole time, I'm trying to ignore that it's a girl I'm shagging. I try to pretend otherwise. Because honestly… girls don't do it for me in the slightest. I find them a little… well… I won't get into the details because it's rather repulsive, and then… in the end… you would think this would mean I was a top… but I'm not."

He looked over at Albus. Albus was staring at him, a very dumbstruck expression on his face.

"Albus?" Scorpius asked warily.

"Give me a minute," Albus said, holding up a finger. "I'm processing."

"Okay," Scorpius said. He watched Albus nervously, waiting for whatever he had to say. Scorpius knew he was a bit of a… well… slut of sorts.

Albus took a very big, very deep breath and let it out. "So… what does this mean for us?"

"What do you mean?" Scorpius questioned.

"Are you expecting that, in the near future, you and I are going to…?" he made a weird gesture with his hands, but it was easy enough to interpret.

Scorpius spluttered for a moment. The idea of having sex with Albus had certainly entered his mind—long before they were even acknowledging mutual feelings. Obviously. But the concept actually frightened him. He'd never actually had sex with someone where it mattered…

"N-no," Scorpius said quickly.

"The idea that repulsive to you?" Albus questioned, he was lightly teasing, but there was definitely a real question burning under the flippant tone.  
"No," Scorpius said. "That's not what I mean. I mean… with you… it's different."

"What you're saying is… with girls you'll just hop into bed at any moment… but with me…"

"With you, it actually matters," Scorpius finalized. "I care about you. I care about this relationship and making sure that everything is right and thought through and comfortable. It's a first for both of us, you know, an actual relationship. I've never had one of those before."

"But you have had a lot of other people," Albus said. "You know a lot more about this sort of thing than I do."

"Albus…" Scorpius said. "Just because I'm a little… cavalier, if we're putting it nicely… doesn't mean I would ever treat this that way… You matter to me. The idea… I won't deny that it sounds so bloody amazing to me. But we… as… a couple? We're not ready for that by any means."

"So what do you do about being so frustrated then?" Albus questioned. "I mean, Bex Overton seems more than willing."

"You're so stupid," Scorpius said. "Do you really think I would do that?"

"I'm just saying…" Albus trailed off.

"Look…" Scorpius said. "You do this weird thing to me. I think about you, and I kind of don't want to be the horrible person I've been my whole life. So there's nothing to worry about. I'll just… make do." And by that, he meant regular wanking.

"You're not a horrible person," Albus said.

"Does it freak you out?" Scorpius wondered.

"What?"

"Everything about me," Scorpius said. "About my behavior. About how I've done so much stuff just because…"

"If it didn't freak me out a little, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Albus said.

"Look…" Scorpius said. "I know I don't want to tell the world about this. I just can't do that. I can't deal with the outside right now… But that doesn't make a difference. Secret as this is, it's still a relationship. And it's exclusive. We might not have put labels like that on it before, but I'm doing it now. I'm not touching anyone else, Albus. You don't have to worry about it. I don't have to go to any lengths. You're my boyfriend."

Scorpius practically felt his heart stop for a good five seconds with that word, that one he never thought he would utter while in Hogwarts.

"I like labels," Albus said thoughtfully, looking over at Scorpius. Scorpius reached out, snagging Albus' hand so that their fingers were entwined between their chairs.

"I'm starving," Scorpius said.

"Dinner's going to be over soon," Albus said, looking at his watch. "Why don't we hang out a little while longer, and then, once things have calmed down all over the castle, kitchens included, we'll go get a couple of sandwiches from the elves."

"Sounds good to me," Scorpius said. "Though I will say, it definitely goes against the grain to let a Gryffindor in the Slytherin common room."

"It barely counts," Albus said. "I'm Head Boy. Some things are necessary."

"Maggie is a bloody Slytherin traitor," Scorpius declared. "I don't know who she thinks she is, giving you the password."

Albus shrugged. "She's just listening to her Head Boy."

"I don't know about her sometimes," Scorpius said. It was moments like these where he figured Maggie knew everything about him. Every little detail. It made him shudder a little to think like that, but honestly, it seemed like the only logical explanation for some things.

"Hey, James really likes her," Albus said.

"A lot of people really like Maggie," Scorpius said. "When it comes to our little duo, she's the bubbly one who is friends with everyone and I'm the brooding one who scares the shit out of all of them so no one messes with us. And in the end, I'm definitely a heartthrob."

"One day," Albus said, putting emphasis on the words. "When the girls find out that you're not quite as straight as it seemed, they're going to be so surprised… It will kill a couple of them I'm sure."

"How unfortunate," Scorpius said. "But yeah. I think a lot of things will be happening one day." He repeated the words to himself. "One day." But certainly not _today. _


	34. Places Everyone, Places

_**A/N: Again, special shout out to my best friend and beta who is once again out of town. She did this chapter at one in the morning despite all that. Without her work, I wouldn't have updated, or I would have updated with my own betaing which is always interesting. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 34: Places Everyone, Places**

Arithmancy. Hands down the one class, of all of his classes, that Albus was taking for absolutely no reason. It wasn't hard for him, even in the seventh year NEWT class. But it was starting to bore him. Scorpius sat next to him, stretched out over his desk, doodling instead of taking notes. Rose was the only person in their row paying attention, and even she seemed to be struggling on this first day back to classes. On the other side of Scorpius, Maggie was draped with her own hair, apparently counting the strands of it.

Of all of them, Albus and Maggie were the least likely to benefit from this in their futures. Rose was taking notes, so that saved her, and Scorpius absorbed information by simply sitting there, making Albus infinitely jealous all of the time.

Albus scribbled a note neatly on the side of his notebook, elbowing Scorpius carefully. _Are you bored out of your skull?_

Scorpius looked up at him and nodded, yawning deeply. He was still scratching along in his notebook, doodling a snake, it would seem. In all honesty, Scorpius had a knack for drawing, which was slowly becoming quite apparent to Albus.

Albus watched Scorpius doodle slowly in the notebook, repeatedly dipping his quill in the ink. Albus had, he figured, never really been paying attention, but Scorpius was left-handed. Once he finished the snake, Scorpius started in on a lion. It was a very majestic lion, proud, very good-looking. There was a weird connection in the picture between the snake and the lion. Albus couldn't help but smile. In a neat, but loopy script, he wrote _S.H.M _under the snake and _A.S.P _under the lion. Then he slid the whole notebook over to really show Albus.

Albus flipped the page in the notebook, realizing that Scorpius took very, very few Arithmancy notes. Most of the notebook was filled with drawings of the lion and the serpent. The same initials, of course, were written on every single one, sometimes more covertly than others, sometimes small, sometimes much larger. It all depended on the picture.

"Easily bored?" Albus whispered.

Scorpius shrugged at him, twirling his quill in between his fingers, but he had a bit of a smirk on his face.

When the class ended, everyone stood up and shoved their basically empty notebooks back into their bags.

"Interesting notebook," Albus commented. "Do you ever take notes in Arithmancy?"

"That's not my Arithmancy notebook," Scorpius said. "I've reserved that one for whenever I'm bored."  
"They're really good," Albus said.

"They're really all the same," Scorpius said, blushing a little.

Albus shrugged. "So time for Herbology."

"I can never get away with anything in Herbology. There's no possible way to fall asleep," Scorpius said as they joined Rose, Maggie and Andrew. Everyone was attempting to bundle up to brave the chill, hoping it was nothing like the evening before.

"Wands at the ready," Rose said. "We're probably going to need to blast a path."

They headed out to the grounds, plowing through the meter-high drifts of snow. It was just as cold as the day before, but the wind was not as harsh and there was bright sun sparkling down from a clear, cloudless sky.

"Class is cancelled!" Professor Longbottom shouted, popping out of one of the greenhouses. "We're having a frost problem. A major frost emergency."

"Do you need any help?" Rose called, her breath spiraling out in front of her.

"Only if you want," Professor Longbottom said.

"I have nothing better to do," Albus said, shrugging and continuing to plow toward the greenhouse. The other four followed after him, but Andrew got distracted, finding Lily coming toward him from Care of Magical Creatures.

"Mandrakes," Professor Longbottom said, sounding very short of breath when they reached the greenhouse. "They're getting frostbite."

"Oh dear," Rose said.

"And they're not the only things," Professor Longbottom said. "This was a very unprecedented chill. Trelawney and I are going to have to have a nice conversation on her lack of the ability to predict the weather properly."

"I don't understand," Maggie said. "The greenhouse is so warm."

"Now it is," Professor Longbottom said. "_Now _it is."

He muttered to himself as he showed them all how to save the Mandrakes from a frosty end.

-CD-

An hour later, about time for lunch, the Mandrakes were finally toasty warm and protected from the chill. The four students were covered with a fine layer of dirt and a thin sheen of sweat as they pulled off their gloves and earmuffs. Albus drew a hand across his forehead.

"Well if they're not warm, I am," Scorpius said, fanning himself.

"I'm going to definitely need a bath before our next class," Maggie said. "Thank Merlin for the break period we have after lunch."

"Seconded," Rose said.

"Well thank you all so much for your help," Professor Longbottom said, bustling back into the greenhouse. "Twenty points each to Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"Thank you, Professor," Albus said brightly.

The cold air outside was much more welcome now that they all were sweltering.

"Oh you've got a lot of dirt right under your eye," Scorpius said, reaching up carefully to brush the dirt away with his thumb. The gentleness of the touch, tender, almost a caress, was probably a little too familiar for Scorpius to, naturally, be comfortable with in front of others. But he noted that only a moment too late. He retracted his hand quickly as blush flooded into his cheeks.

But Maggie and Rose were already staring at the two of them. Rose cleared her throat, averting her gaze, but Maggie's jaw was practically at her knees.

Albus cleared his throat too, looking away from Scorpius as he himself blushed.

"What was that?" Maggie wondered.

"Never mind," Scorpius said.

"Never mind?" Maggie echoed. "What am I never minding?" Her gaze darted quickly between Scorpius and Albus.

"It's nothing," Albus said.

"Scorpius," Maggie said, walking up to him. He looked down at her, short little Maggie, his oldest friend, his most obnoxious friend, the most wonderful, thoughtful person he had ever met. "Scorpius, you can tell me anything."

He shook his head at her. Her eyes darkened.

"Fine," she said. "Keep up the act. I know that you've been acting. You're a great actor. Awards all around." She clenched her jaw and then shook her head. "If only you know that you didn't have to do that! You don't have to pretend, but you just keep on doing it…"

"What do you know?" he demanded as Rose and Albus seemed to contemplate sidling away unnoticed.

"I know everything," she said. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"Maggie…" he said. "Please… just…"  
"Why do you think that everything needs to be so secretive? There are people in this world that love you so much who deserve to know. Your parents—"

"My parents know," Scorpius said. "And they kicked me out."

She froze. "Oh… oh Scorpius, I'm so sorry…"

"I'm keeping this a secret," he snapped. He looked up at Rose, who seemed to struggle meeting his gaze. "Do you understand that, Rose?"

She nodded a little, a gentle little nod.

"But Scorpius—" Maggie said.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, looking away from here.

"But you two…?" she prompted pointing between Scorpius and Albus.

"Maggie, everything's a secret," Scorpius said, pleading with her with his eyes.

"No," she said. "Everything's an act. Come on. Let's go get cleaned up."

"I'm going to the Head Boy's bath," Albus changed the subject. "You're welcome to use it after me, if you'd like Scorp."

Scorpius relaxed a little at those words, trying to let the tension dissolve.

"Sure," Scorpius said. "I've always wanted to see what fancy stuff they give you that we don't get."  
-CD-

A dry and clean Albus waited outside the Head Boy's bath. There was a little sitting room right outside with a comfy chair. The door swung open from the bath side of things, letting out a cloud of steam and a clean Scorpius, who was tying his tie.

"We should come swimming here sometime," Scorpius suggested, crouching down to tie his shoes. Albus could stop himself from examining the bent over shape of Scorpius, the curve of his back, the curve of his arse. He blushed guiltily.

"Definitely," he managed.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius wondered, looking up at him.

"Nothing," Albus said thickly.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. Evidently he followed the path of Albus' eyes. "Are you checking me out?"

"No…" Albus said. "I don't know how you would have come to that conclusion…"

Scorpius laughed, standing up and walking over to him. He leaned forward, putting both of his hands on the arms of Albus' chair, leaning in to kiss him.

"You're allowed to check me out any time," Scorpius said. "As long as the pleasure is mutual."

"Of course," Albus said, as Scorpius pulled away from him. "Where are you going?"

"Well we do actually have Charms this afternoon…" Scorpius said.

"Screw classes," Albus said. "We have like a half an hour anyway." He stood up and walked over, catching Scorpius by the arm. Scorpius turned to look at him.

"Did the Head Boy just say 'screw classes?'" Scorpius asked, sounding astounded.

"Why yes he did," Albus said. "It's one for the record books."  
"In that case…" Scorpius said, letting Albus slide his arms around him. "We have a nice half hour in front of us."

"Of what?" Albus said coyly, running his hands over the smooth muscles of Scorpius' back. He liked Scorpius' slimness. He was well-built, but naturally smaller than Albus.

"Kissing, of course," Scorpius said. "Lots, and lots of kissing. Because we won't be interrupted here."

"Definitely," Albus said, trying not to untuck Scorpius' shirt as he rubbed his back.

"You're so warm…" Scorpius said, burying his nose in Albus' neck.

"That's… weird…" Albus said, laughing.

"No…" Scorpius said. "It's nice… And you smell good, you know. Clean. And kind of like… parchment. Only good."

"You're so weird," Albus said.

"I'm just saying," Scorpius said. "And then you have that really light aftershave…"

"I never realized that you were analyzing my scent," Albus said.

"Sorry…" Scorpius said.

"No, no," Albus said. "I do it to you too. It's always so comforting, you know? It feels good to be near you…"

Scorpius kissed Albus' neck carefully, and Albus was a little tickled by his shaggy golden hair, but it was so soft and so welcome… If this was a secret he had to keep, he would be willing to keep it. This was something he couldn't feel good giving up, now that he had it. He was okay with secrets. Sure. He could do this. As much as so much of him wanted to be able to hold Scorpius' hand every minute, to show off to the world that Scorpius was his, and that they were happy… He could keep his mouth shut. He could refrain from reaching out and taking his hand in class, or kissing him when he saw him for the first time in the morning. He could do it if he had to. And well… he knew he had to.

He sighed to himself, kissing carefully behind Scorpius' left ear. This was worth the secret keeping. These stolen moments of absolute bliss… something he thought he would never have in million years during his time at Hogwarts.

And now that Maggie knew… and Rose knew… well… at least the important people were aware that they were happy. That had to count for something too.

_This is good, _Albus thought, _this is everything. It could be everything. It could be more than amazing. If he would just give it everything._ Albus knew that he himself would do everything. But Scorpius had already proven that he was a world class actor.


	35. Two Completely Different Worlds

_**A/N: Just an fyi, if anyone follows me as an author, I will be posting another fic. This fic, When Darkness Falls, is my primary focus, so no worries. My brain went on a tangent. I absolutely promise never to abandon this fic and to keep up the pace I have. No worries!**_

**Chapter 35: Two Completely Different Worlds**

Scorpius traced a few of the very faint scars on his arm. He was having a moment of self-loathing. It was a moment where he couldn't believe the state of mind he had once allowed himself to get into. Now he was so much stronger, so much more in control. Maybe everything wasn't perfect, but there had been no reason to act like that.

"Why are you looking at your arms?" Albus asked from across the table. The two of them had taken over a corner of the Restricted Section again, back in the dusty dark where no one would interrupt them.

"They're just… interesting," Scorpius said.

"I think your arms are one of your most attractive features," Albus declared, turning back to his book. He was sucking on the end of his quill, which was driving Scorpius nuts, but that comment sort of threw him for a moment.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not," Scorpius said.

"It is," Albus said. "You have amazing arms."

"Do you have an arm fetish?" Scorpius questioned.

"Just_ your_ arms," Albus said, still absentminded. He wasn't looking at Scorpius and he was still sucking on the end of the quill. Scorpius squirmed.

"All scarred and whatnot?" Scorpius wondered.

"No," Albus said. "All muscular and whatnot."

"You're a freak," Scorpius informed him.

"Yeah? You don't have anything like that for me?" Albus looked up at Scorpius then, setting his quill down—mercifully.

"Your hands," Scorpius admitted, blushing.

Albus looked at his hands for a moment. "Hands, arms, what's the difference?"

"I guess there is none," Scorpius said, shrugging.

"Exactly," Albus said, smiling at him. He picked up Scorpius' hand, bringing it to his lips so he could kiss the knuckles.

"Except the fingers," Scorpius said.

"I'm sorry, I'm struggling here… and I'm the freak?" Albus said, laughing.

-CD-

Albus knew it was coming. Rose had him cornered in his dorm before he even gotten through changing after dinner. She interrupted him in his school uniform shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Hello," she said brightly, already changed into jeans and a non-Weasley sweater.

"Hi," he said.

She had been trying to get him alone since the moments after they had helped Professor Longbottom in the greenhouses and so much had come to light.

"So," she said, bouncing on his bed.

"So what?"

"So, Scorpius," she said, smiling at him.

"I know," he said. "But Rose, you can't tell anyone."

"Who knows?" she questioned.

"Lily walked in on us kissing during the holidays, and then… you and Maggie. That's it. James doesn't know, my parents don't know, and I think we're going to keep it that way," Albus said. "For now, at least."

"Kissing?" she said brightly. "Oh Merlin, Al, I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks," he said, finding it impossible not to smile. "I'm happy too."

"As you should be," she said. "But…"

"But what?" Albus asked, pulling his white shirt off, revealing a t-shirt underneath. He tugged a black sweater over his head.

"Isn't… aren't you a little upset that he wants to keep everything so secret?" Rose questioned.

"I… I dunno," Albus said. "I mean, I understand."

"Albus, ignoring what Scorpius feels, what do you honestly want to do? If you didn't have to listen to Scorpius' wishes as well…?"

Albus sighed. "I want to tell everyone. I want to tell anyone who will listen to me. I'm so happy, and I don't care what other people think. I would like the whole world to know that Scorpius is taken, that he and I are together, and that we're happy, and they can't do anything to hurt us. I'm happy and I want the world to know it…"

Rose nodded. "That's what I thought. Shouldn't Scorpius feel the same way?"  
"Scorpius has other things to worry about," Albus said, shaking his head.

"His parents kicked him out?" Rose said.

"Not in so many words, but basically," Albus said.

"Oh…" Rose said. "Well… I mean… I guess you two are in completely different worlds. You tell your family and everything is fine… because that's the sort of family we are. And then those stupid Malfoys…"  
"Scorpius feels like the world has its eyes on him. Every single one," Albus said. "And right now, I'm just thinking I'll work toward convincing him that that's not the case."

"Oh Al…" she said.

"I'm still happy, Rose. We're going to figure this out," Albus said. "He and I will be fine. We're not finding it particularly hard to have time together without other people. Back corner of the Restricted Section? It's our new hang out."

"You shouldn't have to hang out with all the dust," Rose said.

"Stop it, Rose," Albus said. "I'm happy, okay?"

"Okay, okay," she said. "Sorry."

"No reason to be sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair, checking it in the small mirror that was hanging on the wall next to his four poster.

"What are you doing with your hair?" Rose asked, teasing him.

"I'm going to meet Scorpius," he said.

"Is that why you look all dashing?" Rose questioned.

"I look dashing?" Albus asked eagerly.

"Yes you do," Rose said. "You look all… neat."

"Neat?" Albus said.

"As in tidy," she said. "In a good way."

"Okay," he said.

"What are you and Mr. Malfoy doing?" she wondered.

"Finding somewhere to hang out," he said.

"Or make out?" she questioned.

"Whatever," he said, smiling and blushing a little.

"You're adorable," she said. "Go have fun with your boyfriend."  
"Hey…" he said. "What about you? Do you have a guy?"

"Lorcan asked me to the next Hogsmeade," she said.

"I thought that was over," he said.

"I guess not," she said, smirking a little. There was something she wasn't saying—in fact, if Albus didn't know better, he would say she was lying.

-CD-

Scorpius waited for Albus in his favorite empty room in the castle. It was like their own, mini-version of a date. They would sneak off together, where no one would find them, and just talk and kiss.

The door swung open, and Albus came in, grinning at him. He looked so attractive, as usual, in nicely fitting jeans a black sweater that fit him perfectly.

"You look so attractive," Scorpius said as soon as he saw him.

"Thanks," Albus said, laughing a little. He walked over to Scorpius, taking both of his hands. And then he slid his arms carefully around Scorpius and started to kiss him. "So do you."

It was only a matter of seconds before Albus had Scorpius pinned against the wall, trapping him there. There was almost no space between them, and Albus liked it that way. His nose brushed against Scorpius' as he kissed him. Albus liked this. He felt dominant, and that was how he liked feeling. It wasn't a power thing, by any means… it made him feel like Scorpius was his to look after, but also make happy, to please. Albus greatly liked that idea.

"Wow," Scorpius said, pulling away for a moment to get a little bit of breath. "I like this."

"What do you like?" Albus wondered. He would start a mental list, a list of all of the things Scorpius liked to do.

"I like when you… take control," Scorpius said.

"Good," Albus said. "I like taking control." He rested his head against Scorpius' for a moment, and their breath mixed in the air. It was impossible, even there in the particles of their breath that floated between them, to separate Albus from Scorpius. Albus ducked his head to suck on Scorpius' bottom lip for a moment, then latched on completely, fiercely.

"Power trip?" Scorpius questioned.

"Maybe," Albus smirked. "But in a good way, right?"  
"Oh it's hot," Scorpius said, sliding his hands around Albus, up the back of his sweater. Albus moved his kisses to Scorpius' neck as Scorpius pulled him closer. Scorpius could feel the skin light on fire everywhere Albus kissed. He trailed his fingers over the muscles of Albus' back, under the sweater, under the t-shirt. They were so much better, feeling them only through skin, instead of through a layer of a shirt, or more.

"I've never… I never thought I would have this," Albus said. "In Hogwarts."

"Me neither," Scorpius said.

-CD-

"I need to talk to you," Maggie declared, closing the door to the seventh year Slytherin Boys' dormitory behind her.

"About what?" Scorpius asked from where he was lounging half asleep on his bed, attempting to get some homework done and completely failing.

"Scorpius," she said. "I just want to talk. About why you haven't told me things, you know?"

"Maggie…" he said. "I don't really want to talk about it."  
"Please," she said. 'I'm your best friend and I love you, Scorpius."

She hopped up on his bed, kicking her shoes of so she could cross her legs underneath her without offending him with shoes on his bed.

"I'm gay," he said dryly, looking up at her with a cold gaze. "Which you know as of our moment outside the greenhouses the other day."

"Yeah," she said. "I know. But not as of then. I've had a pretty good idea about it for a long time. Ever since you became good friends with Max Wylie. I don't know Scorpius. I just sort of knew. Do you know what I mean?"

"No, I don't know what you mean," he said, glaring icily at her. "How many people do you think know?"

"Scorpius, I'm so close to you that I know," she said. "Because… it's just the way you are… I don't know."

He shook his head. "Maggie…I don't… I don't want to tell people."

"But why couldn't you tell me?" she wondered. "You know how much I love you, Scorpius. You're my best friend. You know I would never think any differently about you. All I wanted was for you to tell me, Scorpius."

"I know, I know," he said. "But it's really hard for me to deal with."

"What happened with your parents?" Maggie wondered.

Scorpius sighed, closing the book he was reading for homework. "My dad walked in on me making out with Albus in my room… And he flipped out. My mum basically told me to clear out for the rest of the holidays. My dad informed me I wasn't his son."

"Oh Merlin… Scorpius, that's horrible," she said, squeezing his hand. "I'm so sorry, so sorry…"

"Yeah. It's horrible," Scorpius said. "But there's no getting around it. I am who I am, and there's honestly no changing that at this point."

"I know…" she said. "But you know what's good?"

"What's good?" he said, hoping his tone clearly indicated that he didn't think there was anything really good in this messed up miss of a life.

"You have Albus," she said.

The word "Albus" sent a wave of calm over Scorpius. That was his highlight, his bright spot. That took him from dark and dismal to bright inside. He had Albus. No matter what horrible stuff came from being gay, he had a relationship with someone he really cared about and who cared about him. That was nice, that was joyful. It made Scorpius happy, no matter what else was going on around him.

"That is so true," Scorpius said.

"I had no idea he was gay," Maggie said, shaking her head. "But I'm so glad he is. He must make you so happy."

"He does," Scorpius said.

"How long have you two been together?" she wondered.

"Since the day after Christmas," Scorpius said.

"Okay good," she said.

"Why good?" he questioned, pulling his knees up and crossing his legs.

"Because. You slept with Bex the day before break," she said.

"Is she still looking for me?" he demanded, glancing quickly at the door.

"Yeah," Maggie said. "You can't avoid her forever, just so you know. I know you're good at sneaking, but she'll find you."  
Scorpius shuddered. "That's going to be rough. I shouldn't have done that."

"Yes. You should have listened to me," Maggie said.

"I apologize?" Scorpius said, looking up at her with a laugh.

She just shook her head at him with a smirk.


	36. Brothers, Take Your Aim

**Chapter 36: Brothers, Take Your Aim**

The air was frozen. It was perhaps the worst day even fathomable for a Hogsmeade trip. Everyone had been talking the night before how they expected the trip to be cancelled because of the weather. But it hadn't been. In the morning, everyone third year and up had their breakfast and set off through the nipping wind and knee-deep snow toward Hogsmeade.

"Are you understanding why I hate the cold?" Scorpius grumbled, head ducked against the wind as he and Albus traipsed along with the rest of the pack, toward the snow-covered village. If possible, the snow seemed to be getting deeper the farther they went along.

"This is just the weather being abusive," Albus said, rubbing his gloved hands together. He smiled at Scorpius, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's go into the Three Broomsticks," Scorpius said.

"You're going to want to stay there the whole time, aren't you?" Albus questioned. "Because it's warm?"

Scorpius shrugged sheepishly, finding it impossible not to smile at that.

"It doesn't even seem worth it," Albus said. "You know, hanging out in the warm pub if I can't even kiss you…"

"Shh," Scorpius hissed, elbowing Albus through the layers of coat and sweater. Albus just smirked playfully.

"Whatever," Albus said. "I'm respecting your choices and all that. Just saying…"

"Albus, please," Scorpius said. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm talking about nothing," Albus said, holding up his hands in defense. "Absolutely nothing."

Scorpius pulled open the door to the Three Broomsticks, holding it open for Albus. He knew Albus was, despite being happy with the secret relationship, having a hard time keeping it just that: secret. Scorpius knew that Albus would give anything to walk down the snowy—albeit, frigid—Hogsmeade street, hand in hand, or with their arms around each other… But Scorpius couldn't give him that. So he opened and held the door for Albus, hoping it conveyed some manner of affection that would not be detected by the rest of the world.

They settled at a table in a corner, so perhaps they could at least talk to each other in private.

"Hey!" the voice carried across the room. Albus looked up to see James walking into the room, hand hooked around Maggie's. The two of them walked up to Albus' and Scorpius' table, smiling. Their cheeks were bitten raw from the cold, but they couldn't keep the grins off their faces.

"Hey," Albus said, waving at his brother.

"Hey," James said, smiling at them. "I told you I would see you. How's everything?"

"Everything is good," Albus said.

"Good. I'm glad," James said. "I'd love to chat, but I'm on a date..." He smiled at Maggie. "Why don't you go get us a table, and I'll get some butterbeer."

"Okay," Maggie said, smiling brightly up at him. She waved at the boys and headed over to a table, sitting down.

"Merlin they look happy," Albus commented, glancing over at her.

"I know," Scorpius said. "It's a good thing. Everyone is so happy lately."

"I know," Albus said. "We're growing up."

The door to the Three Broomsticks swung open and Lily came in, alone. Her eyes scanned over the crowds, narrowed. Her hair had been whipped about in the rough winds, and her cheeks were ruddy. With ferocity, she yanked her scarf away from her neck. Her eyes rested on Albus and Scorpius and she set off through the tables, not bothering to excuse herself as she bumped into other people. Albus braced himself for a good verbal lashing for whatever it was he had evidently done wrong. Scorpius glanced over at him, trying to read what error he had made off his face.

"Hey Lils," Albus said cautiously, looking up at her as she stomped over. She pulled back another chair from the table and plopped into it, twisting her scarf angrily around her hands. She sucked her cheek for a moment and looked up at him.

"Hello," she said icily, before closing her mouth in a solid, severe line.

"What's… up?" Albus asked, unsure. She narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. He tried again. "Lily, did I do something?"

"No," she snapped, drumming her fingers on the table. Her nails clicked viciously against the wood, and she was hammering them so hard, Albus expected one to get stuck there.

"Let me get you a butterbeer," Scorpius offered, standing up and heading over to the counter.

"Lily?" Albus prompted. He met her gaze, her chocolate brown eyes. She stared at him for a couple of seconds before bursting into a flood of tears.

Albus practically jumped out of his seat, throwing an arm around her as she sniffled silently into her scarf, which she held up to her face to dab at her eyes. James was over to the table in an instant, abandoning Maggie, who didn't look upset, but more like she understood.

"What's wrong?" James demanded, putting an arm around her too.

Lily shook her head, trying to make words come out around her sobs, but everything was completely unintelligible.

"What happened?" Albus asked, rubbing her back cafully.

"Andrew broke up with me," she finally managed, getting the words out around her wails.

"Oh Merlin…" Albus hissed under his breath. "So it's time for me to kill him?"  
"It's time for _us _to kill him?" James corrected.

Lily was a strange character. She had a firm grip on her emotions, almost as if she could call them on cue. Within seconds of those words, her waterworks shut off and she cleared her throat delicately. Anger flashed in her eyes, and she looked at her two brothers.

"Be my guest," she said, gesturing to the door with a spark in her eyes. "He was headed to the Quidditch shop. Apparently he has some other girl or something."

"I'll be right back," Albus informed Scorpius, who was just returning to the table. Albus flung his coat on and James barked a quick explanation to Maggie before following Albus back out onto the cold street.

"I'm going to kill him," Albus said. "I'm going to murder him and I'm not going to regret it."

"I knew she shouldn't date a seventh year," James said. "How stupid… I knew he was going to hurt her."

"I told him not to! I thought he would be a good bloke," Albus said. "He is a good bloke. A good friend."

"And yet he treats your sister like dragon dung," James said, pulling his wand out of his coat pocket as they walked into the Quidditch shop. A gust of snow off the ground followed them in as they headed into the shop.

"Is there something I can help you boys with?" the owner of the shop asked, smiling in recognition of Albus and James.

"I'm looking for a bloke… just a little shorter than me," Albus puffed out angrily. "Lighter brown hair…"

"Ah he just went to look at the bat repair kits," the man said, pointing in the right direction. He seemed, however, to sense Albus' mood, because he added, "I won't have any dueling in my shop today, Mr. Potter."

"Don't worry," James said. "We'll take him outside."

The two brothers walked around the corner, finding Andrew looking at the bat repair kits. Rose stood next to him, pointing at certain packs. Andrew looked up when he heard the boys come around the corner. His face fell from a smile into a frown.

"Did you just break my sister's heart?" Albus demanded calmly, walking down the aisle with his wand out.

"Albus…" Andrew said, holding up his hands, not even going for his own wand. "Shouldn't I break up with her, rather than lead her on?"

"You led her on enough! Didn't I tell you not to mess with her?" Albus said, suddenly right in his face. "I told you not to mess with her, Andrew. And you did! What the hell did you do? She doesn't deserve that. Just because she's fifteen doesn't mean you can toy with her!"

"Albus—" Andrew tried, attempting to cut across the rant of his best mate. But Albus' wand was almost at his throat now.

"Why did you even go out with her in the first place?" Albus demanded.

"Because I really liked her," Andrew said. "I did. I wasn't fooling around. I really liked her, Albus."

"And then you just… don't?" Albus said.

"I'm sorry," Andrew said. "I just… I can't…"

"She said there's someone else?" Albus questioned.

"Al…" Rose said gently from behind Andrew. And then it clicked for Albus. He stared at his cousin for a moment, thinking quietly to himself. James seemed to be assessing everything else from right over Albus' right shoulder.

As if let loose by some silent signal, Albus whirled on Rose. "It's _you?_ What the hell, Rose? Lily's your cousin."

"Don't get mad at her," Andrew said, stepping in between Albus and Rose. "Be mad at me."

"Oh we're definitely mad at you," James contributed.

"And please…" Rose said. "Don't tell Lily, Albus. Not yet, please. I don't want to hurt her anymore."  
"I… I don't know if I can do that," Albus said. "Rose… How could you do that?"

"Have you been seeing someone behind my little sister's back?" James growled, shoving Albus out of the way and seizing Andrew by the collar of his shirt.

"No, no, no!" Andrew said. "I would never do that to Lily. That's why I called it off—so that I didn't do that to her!"

James let go of Andrew's collar, obviously trying to calm himself down.

"Relax," Rose ordered both of them.

"Shut up," Albus said to her. "You can't do this to Lily."

"Albus…" Rose said. "Please. I'm just asking you to understand."

"I'm having a hard time… Wasn't it just… days ago that you were building a house of cards with my sister? Acting like everything was fine… how long has this been going on?" Albus demanded.

"I…" Andrew thought for a moment. "Probably since the first day back. We ended up studying together in the library and… I don't know…"

Albus ran his hand through his hair. "Andrew…"

"I'm sorry, Albus. What did you think was going to happen? That I was going to date her forever and ever, even if I didn't feel anything for her, just because you're my best mate? It's better not to lie about it."

"So… your feelings just turned off for Lily and turned on for Rose?" James questioned.

"I don't know…" Andrew said. "I don't know, okay? Stop with the interrogations. I can't handle this. I made the right decision, and I know that. I'm sorry I hurt Lily, and I'm sorry I upset both of you, but this is the best way for this to be. I couldn't do this any other way, without hurting anyone way more…"  
Albus sighed. "Well here's another warning then. Screw with Rose, and I swear to Merlin…"

"Albus, I can take care of myself," Rose said.

"Rose," Albus said. "I don't care. I will always look out for you."

She shook her head at him and looked up at Andrew. "Maybe… maybe we should just go back to the castle, Andrew."

"Maybe…" he said.

James and Albus watched the two of them walk away. James turned around to look at his older brother.

"I don't know what to do," Albus said.

"Lily will be fine," James said. "But I like Andrew a little less."

"Oh I know Lily will be fine," Albus said. "It's just… I fear a little for Rose when Lily finds out. Mum taught her the Bat Bogey Hex, you know…"

"Believe me, I know," James said.

"Poor Rose," Albus said gravely.


	37. Everything Out in the Open

**Chapter 37: Everything Out in the Open**

Scorpius floated along on his back, drifting on the top of the water. Bubbles of thick foam created a pillow around him.

"Enjoying yourself?" Albus asked from where he sat on the edge of the pool-like bathtub, swinging his feet in the water.

"It would be better if you came in here," Scorpius informed him, standing up in the water. The two of them had changed into Muggle swimming trunks and were basically using the Head Boy's bathtub as a swimming pool. The bathroom was one of their places of refuge. When they were in there, no one could bother them. It was perhaps unconventional, but it had become a habit of theirs. It was almost relaxing.

Scorpius waded over to him, putting his hands on Albus' knees. He looked up at Albus, who hadn't even taken off his t-shirt. Scorpius had bared his upper body already, his abs and pecs and all of that exposed. Albus had stared, drinking it in for a good minute. But now it was Scorpius' turn, and Albus was keeping himself covered up. It was hardly fair.

"I know, I know," Albus said, reaching down to pull his shirt over his head. Scorpius' heart rate skyrocketed for a moment. It was like looking at a Greek god. Albus was perfect in every way. It was almost painful.

"W-wow." Scorpius fumbled with the word for a minute.

"What?" Albus demanded, sliding into the water. Scorpius smiled at him and hooked his hands through Albus' and pulled him closer.

"You're… wow," Scorpius said.

"What do you mean?" Albus questioned, looking down at himself. Scorpius cracked a smile at him and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"You're just… amazing. Looking." Scorpius blushed, looking down at the water. Albus laughed and wrapped his arms around Scorpius. Scorpius buried his nose in Albus' neck, letting Albus wrap him up tightly. It was comforting.

"Are you okay?" Albus asked him, rubbing his hands across Scorpius' slick back.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Scorpius questioned, pulling back to look at Albus. He kissed Albus on the cheek once, giving him a light, gentle smile.

"I don't know," Albus said. "Things have been rough."

Scorpius shrugged. "I'm trying not to think about it. It's easier if I pretend I don't have parents."

Albus touched Scorpius' cheek with the back of his hand. Then he kissed Scorpius on the nose, pressing Scorpius back against the edge of the pool bath.

"It'll be okay," Albus said, locking eyes with Scorpius.

"I feel like it…" Scorpius said. And then he locked his arms around Albus' neck and kissed him intensely. Albus pressed Scorpius more tightly against the cool edge while the frothy water bubbled around them. Scorpius sighed against his lips, feeling Albus' soft fingers as they wound into his hair.

There was so much passion between them. Scorpius could feel it vibrating in the air around them, heat and lust permeating through the air—and something like joy and love. It seemed like love. Scorpius couldn't define love—he didn't know what it was and he knew that no one ever had love at this point in a relationship… But there was something like it. There was an unbreakable trust, something that had formed between them that nothing could sever. It was an undeniable connection.

Scorpius liked the feeling—the heat of the moment. He liked the odd, exhilarated twang in his stomach, the thud of his heart, the heat that flooded south in him. The slide of Albus' tongue around his made his blood pump through his veins.

The blood rushed south, of course. As was typical. While Albus nibbled at his lips, or at his neck and ears while they kissed, Scorpius felt himself go hard. Albus' hands slid down to Scorpius' waist as the two of them continued to kiss. Scorpius' skin caught on fire everywhere Albus' lips brushed across his skin. Despite how warm they were, both because of water and because of the intimate contact, goosebumps rose on Scorpius' skin. He felt himself shivering, longing for more contact.

He couldn't explain how he felt about Albus. In the end, around all the almost-love and the happiness of the relationship, there was an odd sort of wanting. Scorpius couldn't decipher or define it, because it was different than anything he had ever experienced. He wanted to be with Albus, he lusted after him in dreams, but also when he was awake. But it wasn't just a raw sexual desire, the need for human contact that he had felt when he slept with Max, or those girls. It was something more, it was something better. All of it stemmed from the idea that Albus was his to want, his to be with. They were together. It was a real relationship. That made all of Scorpius' being tingle.

Scorpius slid his hands down Albus' side too, and then, Albus was tugging at the waist of Scorpius' swimming trunks. He could feel Albus' erection pressed into his leg and the feeling was so ethereal. Caught up in the heat of the moment, in the thought of what could be waiting for him, Scorpius moved his fingertips to the waistband of Albus' bathing suit too, trying to slide it down. He wasn't sure if that was what either of them wanted, but his fingers were acting of their own accord.

"Oh Merlin… you're amazing," Albus whispered, pulling more forcefully now. But then something woke up in Scorpius. He pulled his hand away and locked it around Albus' before hooking their fingers gently together.

"Wait…" Scorpius said.

Albus pulled away, looking at him with wide eyes as he put space and water between them. He twisted his fingers around Scorpius' and blinked a few times before breathing a flighty exhale. "What?"

"I don't know if we're ready… for anything…" Scorpius said. "I mean… I want it… so badly. So badly. But… I'm not sure… We need to talk about some stuff."

Albus leaned in and kissed him quickly on the lips, before hopping up on the edge of the pool. He was obviously trying to calm himself down, taking deep breaths. Scorpius climbed up next to him, leaning against his side.

"You're right," Albus said. "We need to talk about some stuff. I guess I just got a little carried away. Sorry…"

"No, no," Scorpius said. "It's okay. Like I said… I would love to… I just… I worry."

Albus took a deep breath. "I know. I am just a little over excited about that sort of thing. I have a lot of pent up sexual frustration." He cracked a grin. "Comes with being an eighteen-year-old virgin."

Scorpius gulped once. "See. It's stuff like that we need to talk about."

"What?" Albus said. "I mean… you knew that about me. That I've never been with anyone."

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "And you know I'm not a virgin."

"Yeah…" Albus said. "But it was just you and all of those girls. So… in a sense… you're a virgin…"

Scorpius coughed a little dramatically. He looked away, blush filling his cheeks. He felt like a little kid caught doing something he was expressly forbidden to do.

"Albus…" Scorpius said.

Albus slipped his arm around him. "What? What's wrong, Scorpius?" He brushed a drop of water off of Scorpius' chest with his other hand.

"See this is why we need to talk… I need to tell you something," Scorpius said.

"Okay," Albus said. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I do," Scorpius said. "But this is hard for me to tell you… Because it makes me… I'm a horrible person."

"No, no," Albus said. "I know you're not a horrible person."

"Al, you know Max?" Scorpius said. "My friend Max Wylie?"  
"Yeah," Albus said, warily, tightening his arm around Scorpius.

"Well, I- he and I, I mean. We used to have sex. I lost my virginity to him," Scorpius said. "When I was sixteen… Sort of a beneficial relationship. When one of us would want sex… we'd go to each other. I don't know."

"Oh…" Albus said after a moment. "Oh…"

"I'm sorry?" Scorpius said.

"Why are you apologizing? It isn't as if you have done me some great personal wrong or something," Albus said. "You and I weren't even friends then…"

"I know but…" Scorpius said.

"It's okay," Albus said. "It's fine, Scorpius."

"I want you so badly," Scorpius said. "More than I could ever want anyone else, more than I have ever wanted anyone else. It's so different, Albus." He buried his nose into Albus' neck, hiding his face in shame and embarrassment for his stupid former actions.  
"I know," Albus said. "And that's why it doesn't matter to me Scorpius."

"If it were to happen… tomorrow… do you think we would be ready?" Scorpius wondered.

"I don't know," Albus said. "I feel like… we know everything. I feel like we trust each other. But I also think there's a lot more to cover. A lot more. I don't know what possessed me, honestly but… something did. And if that part of me—of both of us—wins out in the near future, I think we would be okay, but let's make sure we're in the right place, that we know what we want and what to expect. Everyone needs to be prepared."

Scorpius nodded at him and sighed. "I'm ashamed of the bad past I have."

"Scorpius…" Albus said. "You shouldn't be."

"But you're so bloody perfect," Scorpius complained. "You deserve a little better, don't you think?"

"I deserve what I want," Albus declared, kissing him on the temple. "Come on, let's get back in the water."

He dropped his arm from Scorpius' shoulders, but grabbed his hand, towing him into the water.

-CD-

Scorpius walked out of the Head Boy's bathroom, leaving Albus in there while he went on a quest for food. They were so strange, maybe, hanging out in a bathroom, but it was a good sanctuary of them. He liked it. But swimming around had made them both very hungry.

He headed toward the kitchens, which meant going down a floor or so. He took the steps quickly, wanting to hurry back to Albus. They were having a good time together. It was nice to be able to relax and hide away from the stress for a little while. The different taps and aromas in there were working their magic for the two of them, calming and soothing.

"Hey!" The word echoed through the Entrance Hall as Scorpius headed toward the stairs which would take them to the kitchen. He turned around, looking for its source. The word bounced off the ceilings and the expansive walls. The hall was almost empty, and the other inhabitants were not concerned with Scorpius presence, as most of them seemed to be snogging passionately with another person at that time.

Finally, his eyes settled on the source of the noise: Bex Overton was coming across the Entrance Hall, from the direction of the Great Hall. She had a determined look on as she plowed forward to Scorpius, walking briskly and grumpily.

"I need to talk to you, Malfoy," she ordered, while Scorpius stood stock still on the stone floor. He fidgeted uncomfortably. He had been avoiding her like the plague since Christmas. But now she had him, and he couldn't very well just walk away. For one thing, she would follow. For another, that was honestly just rude.

"Okay…" he said uncomfortably, shifting where he stood. He tried not to look at her as she approached, because honestly, she looked angry. Scorpius knew he was in for it—maybe rightfully so.

But then, Bex flung herself at him—not to hit him or hex him. Instead, she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in, right there in the middle of the Entrance Hall.


	38. The Bat Bogey Hex

**Chapter 38: The Bat Bogey Hex**

Albus waited patiently in the little waiting area outside of the Head Boy's bathroom. Scorpius had left a while ago and Albus expected him back soon. He pulled the Marauder's Map out of his bag, scanning around for the dot he had started following whenever he had the chance. Scorpius' dot was skirting around in the lower levels of the school, taking what seemed to be, perhaps, the most roundabout route back to the Head Boy's bathroom.

It took a moment for Albus to figure out what was going on, but he did. Scorpius' little dot was desperately trying to avoid another dot on the map. This second dot was labeled "Rebecca Overton." Albus shook his head, pitying Scorpius at least a little.

When the door finally opened again, Scorpius came in, laden with a tray of food, frowning.

"Girls are horrible," he declared. "That slag Bex Overton…"

Albus probably would have chuckled, if it hadn't been for the livid expression on Scorpius' face. The silver eyes were lit up with a ferocity that Albus had not seen in a very long time. He decided to bite his tongue, keep his chuckle to himself, because it was clearly not the right moment for it.

"What did she do?" he asked instead, moving to sit on the floor of the tiny space with Scorpius sitting across from him.

"She just came up to me and she… she _kissed _me," Scorpius said, the appalled outrage seeping into his voice. "It was in front of a bunch of people—I don't care so much about that. I just… The _audacity."_

Albus had to let out a snort of a laugh at that. Scorpius glared coolly at him.

"Of course," Scorpius said. "I am thankful to say that my reputation has been restored to its former dark glory. Everyone around got to hear me inform Bex Overton that, while she is a pretty and hot girl, I just am not interested in her in that way." He then barked a laugh too. "I don't know what she thought was going to happen between us…"

"Well… at least your reputation has been upheld," Albus said. He hoped the edge of bitterness to his tone was only audible in his own head. He hated Scorpius' reputation. Maybe some of the hate came from the fact that much of the reputation was deserved. The rest, though, stemmed from how much Albus desperately wanted to tell the world that they were an item, that the dark, mysterious, womanizing Slytherin Prince was nothing more than a quiet gay boy.

"Oh yes," Scorpius said, pulling the shining cover off of the tray he brought. "I don't really want to talk about her. All I can say is good riddance."

"She's such a slag," Albus said, his stomach clenching into tight, angry, knots as he thought of that girl putting her lips on Scorpius at all. He gripped a fork in his hand with what was probably undue force.

Scorpius reached out, putting his hand over Albus' trying to get him to relax his fingers. "Hey, I only have eyes for you, Albus."

Albus smirked at him a little, relaxing his grip on the fork.

"Albus… I am sitting with you in a bathroom, eating a midnight snack," Scorpius said, gesturing around him to the world.

"Technically, isn't it a waiting room outside a bathroom?" Albus pointed out, shrugging.

"Oh shush," Scorpius said, shaking his head. "You and your technicalities."

"I try," Albus said, shrugging again, he smirked once.

"Hey… what's that?" Scorpius questioned, pointing. Albus followed Scorpius' finger to the chair where Albus had been sitting when Scorpius came back. Lying open on the chair was the Marauder's Map, unfolded and open, showing all of its contents to anyone.

"Oh…" Albus said. "Well I suppose I could tell you about that."

"What is it?" Scorpius asked as Albus picked up the map and passed it over the food to Scorpius. Albus watched as his boyfriend looked for a moment. Scorpius' eyes widened into saucers and he looked up at Albus. "This is some remarkable magic. Did you do this?"

"No, no," Albus said. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs made it. In the seventies. They're the Marauders."

"Oh…" Scorpius said. "I think I've heard them somewhere."

"I'm sure, at least a little," Albus said. "Moony was Remus Lupin—the werewolf? Teddy's father. Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew." Albus scowled at the name and a sneer crossed Scorpius' face at the word.

"That's right. Wormtail," Scorpius said. "In the few—and I mean, very, very few—stories I've heard from my father… Wormtail is never a shining character. For the good or the bad side of things."  
"He's a bandwaggoner," Albus said. "Or was, I mean."  
"Anyway, keep going," Scorpius said, examining the map further as Albus talked.

"Well… Padfoot was Sirius Black, my dad's godfather. And Prongs was my grandfather, James Potter," Albus said. "They made this map… and somehow it ended up with my uncles, Fred and George, when they were in school here. And they passed it onto my dad. He gave it to James and James shared it with me, and now I'm the one who has use for it. Lily borrows it sometimes."

"Does it show everyone?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes," Albus said. "Well, everyone in Hogwarts. But it doesn't show the Room of Requirement."

"That's spectacular," Scorpius said. "What a fantastic tool to have at your disposal."

Albus nodded, holding his hand out for the parchment. "I'm very protective of it."

"As you should be," Scorpius said.

"Mischief managed," Albus said, and the details of the map vanished. Albus tucked it into his bag, smiling at Scorpius. If Albus didn't trust him, he would never have said anything. As he made eye contact with Scorpius, there was a reassurance in the blonde's eyes that said he knew that, that he understood.

"I won't tell anyone," Scorpius said, reading Albus' mind. Scorpius resumed eating, picking up his fork and digging into the green beans on the plate in front of him.

"I trust you," Albus said. "Though… might I also say I have an invisibility cloak?"

Scorpius stared at him for a moment. "Your family is spectacular."

Albus shrugged. "I've always known that."

With those words, however, a rain cloud settled on the two of them. The idea of family was never a good one to bring up of late. Albus' family _was_ spectacular. They accepted him and loved him for who he was, and didn't care either way. Scorpius' family was the exact opposite.

-CD-

"We're going to get in trouble," Scorpius said as the two of them strolled around the castle.

"No we're not," Albus said, rolling his eyes. "I'm Head Boy. This is my job. Patrols. We're calling them patrols."

The two boys were walking through the corridors of Hogwarts Castle, hand in hand. Albus had his Map out, watching it to make sure they weren't interrupted walking hand in hand. Scorpius was good with it. He loved it. If he knew nothing was going to happen, he could walk like this all of the time, if he knew no one would interrupt them.

Scorpius was an expert at keeping secrets. He knew what was best to keep secret and he would not be swayed when he came to that decision. This secret was one of those. Scorpius knew what the world was capable of, how deep it could cut the two of them if it wanted to. Even in the Wizarding World, it was sometimes hard to grasp the idea of "gay." People were cruel and Scorpius knew that.

He also knew that some foolish, naïve part of Albus strictly believed otherwise. Albus saw the world as a place of people who would always be his friend, who would understand the way he was and be there for him. What he didn't grasp was how much a label could stand in his way.

Scorpius couldn't fathom it. He wouldn't let Albus say anything to anyone. He knew the pain that he himself felt at feeling out of place and often rejected. That sort of pain would crush the bright spirit that lived inside Albus. Scorpius couldn't allow the world to bring out its hate on Albus. And that meant secrets. Everything was supposed to be a secret and Scorpius knew that he would not change his stance on that in the near future.

The sound of voices echoed down the corridor and Scorpius instantly dropped Albus' hand. Albus glanced down at his map, giving Scorpius an odd look just before he did so.

"It's just Rose and Andrew," Albus said. He folded the map and looked up as his cousin and best mate walked down the corridor. Andrew was locked in an intense battle with winged, globular creatures, which attacked his face as Rose attempted to reverse the hex, all the while attempted to get Andrew to stay still.

"What's going on?" Scorpius demanded as Albus got out his wand to go and help them.

"It's a Bat Bogey Hex," Albus said. "I think… I _think _Lily must have just found out about Rose and Andrew…"

"Oh…" Scorpius said knowingly as Albus whipped his wand once through the air, vanishing the winged Bogeys.

"Was Lily upset?" Albus asked Andrew.

"What does it look like?" Andrew demanded, fingering his now clean face, shoulders visibly sagging in relief.

"No, I mean were there tears, or was she just angry?" Albus wondered. Scorpius made a silent vow to himself right then to never get on the bad side of Lily Potter.

"She was furious," Rose said. "But not at me, really. Though I suppose I'll hear about it later. No. She was angry at him." She pointed at Andrew.

"Well…" Scorpius said. "Doesn't she have a bit of a right to be? Things seemed so great between you and Lily, Andrew and then…?"

"I know, I know," Andrew said. 'I am a horrible person. Fine. It's just… I didn't want to break her heart."  
"I know that," Albus said. "And Lily knows that. But that doesn't mean she won't get angry at you…"

"Obviously," Rose said. "Do you think she'll be okay? Do you think she'll stay mad at me?"

"Of course she won't stay mad at you," Scorpius said. "You Potters and Weasleys are inseparable."

Rose shook her head. "But we're all screwed up with each other. Dating each other's boyfriends, dating Slytherins."

"Rose…" Albus said, his tone cautioning. Even Scorpius had tensed up, hoping Rose wouldn't let something slip she shouldn't—something Andrew didn't need to know.

"How are things with James and Maggie?" Rose wondered, sensing that she was stepping too close to the line of comfort for Scorpius and Albus.

"Very good, apparently," Scorpius said. All Maggie could ever do was gush about James. They spent hours of time writing each other. Maggie was head over heels in love with the oldest Potter boy, and from what Scorpius gathered, reading the letters that Maggie showed her, James was utterly enamored with her as well.

"Yeah. James is basically in love with her," Albus said.

"Well…" Rose said. "Hopefully everything will work out. For everyone."

"It will," Albus said. "Everyone else has figured their life out—those of the family that are out of school, I mean. I think we'll be fine." He glanced at Scorpius for a minute and Scorpius felt his heart pick up in his chest. Here was Albus. Albus was everything Scorpius had ever wanted, all he ever could have dreamed of having in a thousand lifetimes. His heart beat against his breast bone. He was absolutely terrified.


	39. Frolic: The Female Mind

**Chapter 39: Frolic: The Female Mind**

_We now take this moment to interrupt the lives of Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Introducing the minds of Lily Luna Potter, Rose Nymphadora Weasley and Maggie Denise Braxton. _

_-CD-_

_Dear James,_

_ Hi. I just got your last letter. I'm fine. Andrew and Rose are a cute couple and I'll certainly get over it, I assure you. I think there are more pressing matters to attend to than whether or not I can survive the demise of a relationship that was rather useless as anything more than a tally mark on what is sure to be a long line of tally marks._

_ Here's the thing, dear oldest brother. I need to know a few things, okay? I'm nosy. You know this. So here's my question: you and Scorpius. Okay, so that's not so much a question as a topic. But nonetheless. I would like you elaborate on this odd little friendship you and our mutual friend had. You're a horrible liar and you're not really good at hiding things. It's very evident to me—and I'm sure it's probably just as evident to Albus and probably Scorpius himself—that you know something that you don't want to tell anyone. What you know is an issue for you and you worry about telling people, but you worry about not telling people too._

_ Does that make sense? Can you clear some of this up for me? I'm dying to know what's going on—mostly for the good of Albus and Scorpius' friendship, I'm sure you know. _

_ Sincerely, with the utmost love,_

_ Lily _

_~LP~_

_Dear Lily, _

_ How many times do I have to tell you that some things are simply none of your business? Would you stop harping about this?_

_ James _

-CD-

Lily pouted at the letter in her hands. She couldn't tell James about Albus and Scorpius, but a part of her was convinced that James already knew anyway. James never said anything about it, and if he knew, Scorpius certainly had no idea he knew.

For Lily it hadn't been hard. Just the powers of deduction. It was the way Scorpius seemed to be so… not attracted to women, despite sleeping with all of them. No one would know it without careful thought, but Lily was all about careful thought. And then with Albus… she had just figured. There had never been any reason to think he was gay, nor was there any reason to think he wasn't. When she really thought about it, she realized that only one option was actually Albus.

"Where's my brother?" Lily asked, entering the room where Scorpius hung out without knocking. Albus' beau sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. In his hand he held a folded square of parchment, but he wasn't looking at it. Instead, his gaze bored into the opposite wall, even after Lily entered and spoke.

"I have no idea," Scorpius said.

"Aren't you two inseparable?" Lily questioned, walking in front of Scorpius in order to break his concentrated line of sight.

Scorpius sighed, leaning his head back against the wall as he looked at her. "I guess not."

"What's wrong?" Lily demanded. "Did you two have a row or something?"

"No, no," Scorpius said, shaking his head. "I just had to get a couple things done."

"Like staring at a wall?" Lily wondered.

Scorpius snorted. "I suppose."

"What's going on?" Lily asked. "Why do you look so upset?"

"It's nothing," Scorpius said, waving a hand at her.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me, at least tell my brother," Lily suggested.

"I might just do that," Scorpius said.

"Well I have to go find Albus," Lily said. "Look… don't try to stopper up your emotions. It's stupid. You'll explode eventually."

Scorpius wrapped his fingers tightly around one of his forearms, nodding strictly.

"See you later, Scorpius," she said, heading toward the door.

"See you," he said. "Oh and Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Remind me never to get on the receiving end of your Bat Bogey Hex," Scorpius said.

"If you don't mess with my brother, you should have nothing to worry about," she assured him, nodding properly and walking back out the door.

-CD-

"What do you think…?" Rose asked, flipping through a book. She had a big Transfiguration book open on a table in the library. They were back in a hidden corner of one of the less-frequented sections, a sound muffling bubble surrounding them so no one would overhear their conversation.

Maggie sighed. "I don't know what to think. Of course Scorpius is being a stubborn and dramatic little girl…"

"I feel like it's going to break them—both of them," Rose said. "Albus is terrible at keeping secrets. Especially about something that's made him excited, like this. He can do it if he has to, but he's not going to like it."

"Scorpius is all about secrets," Maggie said. "Even after I found out, he didn't want to talk about it. It's like he's created his own little world, and he's shutting everyone else out of it so he can live in his false bliss with Albus."

"They can't go on like this forever," Rose said. "That's not even remotely feasible. I just don't want him to hurt Albus."

"I think Scorpius would rather die than hurt Albus too," Maggie said. "It's just… He tends to go overboard, and if it gets to a point where he has to choose between hurting himself and hurting Albus, he'll probably explode. Because I think hurting Albus would hurt him, too."

"What is he afraid of?" Rose wondered.

"He's afraid of everything," Maggie said. "He would never admit it, because his pride is almost too big to fit through your average doorway. He's afraid of what people will say if they found out, what they might do, how that might hurt him or Albus… He's afraid of hurting Albus by keeping it a secret, but he can't see it any other way."

"He told you all of this?" Rose questioned.

"Of course he didn't," Maggie scoffed. "I just know him well enough to have him figured out."

"Ah…" Rose nodded, turning the page in her book. They weren't really studying for Transfiguration or doing any homework. An odd friendship had formed between the girls because their interests in life seemed to overlap. Maggie cared so much about Scorpius and Rose cared so much about Albus that their lives had to come together now that the boys were together. They both had become completely invested in keeping their respective best friends above water, and that meant forming a strict alliance between them. Some unconscious part of both of them had decided on getting together at least once a week to dissect the boys' relationship and make sure everyone was staying happy.

"Albus better not hurt Scorpius either," Maggie pointed out.

"Oh he would never," Rose said. "Don't you see? Albus is like a teddy bear. He couldn't hurt a fly."

"How is he going to be an auror, then?" Maggie asked.

"Well, you know what I mean." Rose waved her hand dramatically, rolling her eyes. "If Scorpius was horrible to him, Albus would probably figure out how to be horrible right back. But even if he wanted to break up with Scorpius, he would be so very gentle about it."

"I can see that," Maggie said. "He's so sweet."

"That he is," Rose said. "It's almost painful."

"You know what's interesting though?" Maggie said. "I think James knows."

"You think James knows what?"

"That Scorpius is gay and that he and Albus are together," Maggie said. "He always is asking about them. And he asks about them as if they're one entity, not just like 'how's my brother been?' or 'how has Scorpius been' but always 'how are things with Scorpius and my brother?' It seems like he knows that they're together."

"How do you usually reply to that?" Rose wondered.

"I say they're good. They're enjoying being back at school. Every generic answer that can go either way. It's like he's trying to get me to admit stuff to him, or slip up." Maggie pouted, but Rose could tell she was okay with it—basically, James could ask her anything and she would be happy about it.

Rose frowned. "This shouldn't be so hard. They're so happy—Al and Scorpius, I mean. It shouldn't be difficult for them to be together. They should be able to frolic about with ease, without a care."

"I would pay a thousand galleons to see Scorpius _frolic," _Maggie said.

"You know what I mean," Rose said. "They should get to revel in their happiness, not hide it from anyone. Albus hasn't even told his parents. Only Lily knows. He tells his parents everything. He tells James everything. But here he is keeping things quiet."

"I understand why Scorpius isn't saying anything," Maggie said. "But I don't know if he's ever going to want to change his ways."

"Don't you think, maybe after they go out into the real world?" Rose questioned.

"I don't know," Maggie said. "I think he's just so afraid of the world. He's had a hard time fitting in as is, and he doesn't want things to ruin what he has now…"

"Do you think it will go badly? If he tells people?" Rose thumbed through another page of her Transfiguration text.

"I don't know," Maggie said. "I mean… You remember Max Wylie? Some people in the upper years really freaked out at him when he came out."

"I don't remember people freaking out, but I guess I heard about it a little—from my older cousins, you know," Rose said, shrugging.

"Yeah… some people were not very kind about it," Maggie said. "And Max is very impervious to that sort of thing. Scorpius isn't. That sort of stuff clubs him over the head and proceeds to beat him into the ground. He lets it get to him."

"Well he ought to not let that happen," Rose said, sniffing once with an expression that was more than vaguely reminiscent of Hermione Granger.

"He can't help it," Maggie said. "That's just the way he is. He has always been that way. He absorbs everything that comes at him and bottles it up until he snaps in half."

Rose shook her head. "I hope he's careful. I hope he remembers he has Albus there to help him out."

"I hope so," Maggie said. "They're so good together. You know… Scorpius has had this weird, silvery glow in his eyes ever since Christmas. It's amazing. He's so happy. Scorpius sometimes has a happiness problem, so it's so good that he has someone to light everything up for him. Albus does that. I never want to see the two of them apart now. They're perfect."

"Agreed," Rose said. "Albus doesn't have a… 'happiness problem,' but I certainly have noticed a change in him. I think everyone has. He's more happy than he has ever been."

-CD-

_Dear James,_

_ I will not mind my own business okay? I'm far too curious for that, and I'm sorry, you don't keep secrets well anyway—why start now? I will _not _stop harping. Not until you tell me what you know okay? Understand? Talk to you soon._

_ Lily_

_~JSP~_

_Dear Lily,_

_ Seriously? Do I have to come to Hogwarts and knock some sense into you, my dear, darling, little sister? Because I will. Leave me alone, alright? I'm not keeping secrets. I'm just… everything I think is speculation anyway, so it's not fair to share speculation that I have no confirmation on. That's gossiping. I don't gossip and you shouldn't either. So please stop begging, okay? I can't tell you what I know because I don't _know _anything._

_ You're not curious. You're nosy. There's a difference, I promise. Curious is human, nosy is unbecoming (though also often very human). Still, don't succumb. I feel like we're going to know everything soon and we just need to be patient (that's as hard for me as it is for you, unfortunately). People will stop keeping secrets soon._

_ Love, _

_ James _


	40. The Scale Tips Toward Exemplary

**Chapter 40:** **The Scale Tips Toward Exemplary**

It was interesting how one could fall so hard and so fast. In the early morning, opting for the bathroom in his dorm over the prefect's bath, Scorpius smirked at his reflection, watching a silver glint dance in his eyes. He was shirtless, a pair of muggle shorts on as he inspected himself. He stretched his arms out to his side, palms turned toward the mirrors. The snake tattoo on his arm looked just as fierce as always, though in the brightness of the bathroom he could see the scars etched on his arms. His hair, tousled from sleep, fell in front of his eyes, shaggy and blonde.

Something about Scorpius' reflection had changed. He was still the same lean and muscled person he had always been, with a narrow waist and a thin, though built, frame. But now, he was a person someone else appreciated, someone else cared about.

Maybe the world around them was screwed up. He knew it was. People out there, if they knew, could cut more deeply than he or Albus could ever imagine. The fear of that kind of pain—whether it be Albus' pain, or Scorpius' own—was what kept Scorpius silent. He couldn't handle the idea of the pain he knew would come. To see it inflicted on Albus would be worse than having it inflicted upon himself.

This was the Wizarding World. In some ways, that ought to mean something. It was the twenty-first century. That should mean something too. But none of it did. Scorpius' own father and mother were proof enough that intolerance still lingered even in such a progressive world. There would be others like them, maybe worse, and Scorpius was not going to risk anything.

Scorpius smirked at himself. He wasn't sure why he was smirking, he just was. He turned around, reaching to turn on the shower. He waited for a moment, letting it get hot as he stripped off the rest of his clothes, thinking about Albus.

He'd had a dream about Albus again. Of course, Albus showed up in all of his dreams of late. But this one was not particularly similar to most of them and it was also not particularly innocent either. Scorpius was lost in the idea of it floating in his head. He was starting to wonder if maybe he could possibly fall in love.

-CD-

Albus woke in a flash of heat. A wan, golden, early morning light filtered through the window, illuminating the dorm room in its peachy glow. He could hear his heart beating right behind his ears. It was threatening to break out of his chest and explode. His sheets were wrapped around his legs, tight like he had been thrashing around. A thin sheen of sweat coated every inch of his body.

What a dream. It had been so real. Albus could still feel the flutter of Scorpius' lips across his skin, the heat of their bodies pressing together, the friction between their cocks. And then… then the idea of Scorpius' sweet, wet lips, moving lower, a gentle smirk on his face, teasing, tempting. Moments later on the brink of ecstasy, Albus was ready to fuck him into the mattress…

Albus blushed, the heat of his body radiating. His sheets were already soiled, but he felt himself growing hard… Biting his tongue, he unwrapped himself from the sheets, whipping out his wand to clean them up before he tiptoed across the floor to the bathroom.

He closed the door behind him, his breathing heavy. Living in a room with a bunch of other seventeen and eighteen-year-old boys meant this was a more than typical occurrence, but it was still good to keep things as private as possible, so Albus moved away from his bed. He glanced at himself in the mirror, laughing a little at the dumbstruck, blushing expression on his face.

Sliding his boxers off, being careful as he moved past his throbbing erection. He turned the shower on, not bothering to make it cold. He was going to give himself a little joy here. He hadn't done this in a while. It had been a long time, or so it seemed, since he had given into his fantasies, to his desires. Instead of cold, the water was hot. Albus stepped inside of it, relishing the warmth on his skin. The heat on the outside represented the fire of lust that had been ignited within.

One of Albus' hands wrapped itself around his cock very carefully. The image of the dream flooded to the front of Albus' brain, filling it up, bold and bright and beautiful as if it was right in front of him. Scorpius was so warm, and soft, but toned and perfect at the same time. Every inch of this dream version was filled out to the utmost desires of the mind of Albus' Potter, though all that was known for certain to Albus was not distorted. He liked to keep his imagination believable.

Just as Albus' eyelids drooped closed over his eyes, the door to the bathroom unlocked. Albus bit down on his tongue to keep a moan from falling out of his lips.

"Is that you, Albus?" Andrew's voice asked.

"Yeah," Albus said, attempting to keep his voice strong, though finding it barely possible. The awkwardness of the situation was unfathomable. Albus stood there, having a conversation with his best mate, fisting his own prick, all the while practically coming at the images in his brain.

"I had to piss, noticed you were up," Andrew said. "What are you doing, showering at five thirty in the morning anyway?"

"Couldn't sleep?" Albus offered, hoping his somewhat throaty reply was enough to convince his friend.

"Oh…" Andrew said, and his tone took a turn for the knowing. "Oh… well I'll leave you to that then." There was a ghost of an awkward chuckle in his voice as he left the room.

Cursing under his breath, Albus resumed.

-CD-

"Good morning," Albus said brightly to Scorpius, stopping by the Slytherin table as he entered the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Morning," Scorpius said, smiling at him. They exchanged a moment's glance and Maggie smirked at them.

"Well I'll see you in Potions," Albus declared, giving Scorpius his crooked smile.

"Oh Merlin," Maggie muttered. "You two are unbearably adorable."

"Shh," Scorpius hissed at her, giving her an elbow to the ribs.

The sound of rustling wings alerted the entire hall to the arrival of the post. Owls fluttered down on them, landing with grace in front of different people. A beautiful tawny owl landed in front of Maggie and her eyes lit up.

"James?" Scorpius assumed.

"Of course," Maggie said, untying the letter and stroking the owl's head. It fluttered off then, disappearing just as a big black owl landed in front of Scorpius. It assessed him with its yellow eyes and held out its leg, clicking its beak impatiently it. It was one of his family's two owls, Midas. His heart thudding, Scorpius untied the letter from the owl's leg. It was a crisp parchment-colored envelope, sealed with dark green wax. Above the seal, the initials _D.L.M _were scripted in silver ink. Draco Lucius Malfoy.

Taking a deep breath, Scorpius broke the seal, pulling the letter out of the envelope. He unfolded it an began to read.

_~D.L.M~_

_Dear Scorpius,_

_ I am writing in order to check to see that you are well. Obviously, we have not spoken since the twenty-sixth of December. Your mother would like confirmation that you are healthy and that school is going well. Please reply soon. We wish you the best. Send our regards to Maggie and even to the Potter boy. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Your father, Draco L. Malfoy_

_~D.L.M~_

Scorpius frowned, looking at the letter. He wasn't sure at all what to make of it.

"Is that from your dad?" Maggie said, reaching out for the letter.

"Yeah…" Scorpius said, passing it to her.

"Huh…" she said, skimming the few lines quickly. "That's a little… vague?"

"That's what I was thinking," Scorpius said. "I'm not sure if it's forced or…"

"I can't tell," she said. "It seems like… every word is genuine. I know that seems weird, but that's how I see it."

"Me too, sort of," Scorpius said. "It's not hard to be genuine when you're not apologizing, however."

Midas clicked his beak at Scorpius impatiently, obviously expecting a reply.

"Hang on," Scorpius said, fishing around in his bag. He pulled out a quill and some parchment and began to write.

_Dad,_

_ I'm well, I'm fine. The Potters were very hospitable to me for the rest of the holiday. School is fine, my grades are fine. I'll be all set to train to be a curse-breaker very soon. Tell Mum I'm fine. Maggie is fine as well, and so is Albus. I'm not really sure of the point of your letter. _

_ Scorpius_

He folded the scribbled note carefully and attached it to the owl's leg. He fed Midas a few cornflakes as a reward and gave him some pumpkin juice. The owl nipped him affectionately and took off.

"Well at least someone in that family still likes me," he said thoughtfully as the owl beat his massive wings.

Maggie frowned, still holding the letter from Draco. "This is so weird."

"My mum probably made him write something," Scorpius said. "She's still a mildly decent human being."

"Scorp…" Maggie said. "I know your parents so well. I feel like they'll come around. They will. They have to."

"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I'm a disappointment."

"I don't see how you could ever be a disappointment," Maggie said. "You're brilliant—despite the lack of work ethic on occasion. You're a prefect, a fantastic Quidditch player."

"I have a tattoo," Scorpius said. "People are afraid of me because I look _dark _and then there's the icing on the cake."

Maggie frowned at him, crossing her arms. "Still. The scale tips toward exemplary."

-CD-

"I want a tattoo," Albus declared, plopping next to Scorpius. "For my birthday."

"Is that it?" Scorpius said, looking up from where he was doing his homework in the back corner of the library's Restricted Section.

"Sure," Albus said. "That's all I really want…"

Scorpius sucked in one cheek. "What do you want the tattoo to be of?"

"I don't know," Albus said. "A lion? Isn't that stereotypical?"

"I got a snake," Scorpius said, waving his arm in the air.

"Hmm," Albus said. "Maybe I will get a lion."

"Where do you want it?" Scorpius wondered, pulling Albus closer to him, twisting their fingers together.

"Either here," Albus said, jabbing at his left pectoral. "Or on my back—on my shoulder in the back, I mean."

"Well I'll start brainstorming some drawings," Scorpius said, abandoning his homework and pulling out the notebook he drew in.

"You could do it like that one," Albus said as soon as Scorpius flipped to the first page. A rampant lion stood, mouth open, growling at some invisible foe.

"No, no," Scorpius said. "I'm going to make it special. What color do you want?"

"Either black or scarlet, I think," Albus said.

"This is going to be fun," Scorpius said. "But you have to be certain you want it."  
"I will be. I'll make sure I am," Albus said, nodding.

"Will your parents be upset about it?" Scorpius wondered.

Albus shook his head. "I'll be eighteen. They don't really care. Besides, I think James has one…"

"Oh he does," Scorpius said, nodding. "I did it for him at the end of last year."

"See?" Albus said. "So I can get one too. Not a problem."

"Okay," Scorpius said. "And if Lily comes and asks me for one?"

"Not until she's seventeen," Albus declared. "Before then, she has to ask our parents. And they will definitely say no."

"Okay then," Scorpius said. "Well I'll start drawing some things and you make sure it's what you really want, okay?"

"Will do," Albus said. "So what homework were you working on?"

"Ancient Runes," Scorpius said. "My favorite subject."  
"Of course," Albus said. "I should probably get started on that…"


	41. Enter Aria Zane

**Chapter 41: Enter Aria Zane**

The seventh year potions class waited in silence as Professor Pucey pulled out his parchment and addressed the class. He assessed them all for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"Alright," he said. "Groups of three for this project, as I already stated. Miss Weasley, Lorcan Scamander and Miss James. Miss Braxton, Lysander Scamander and Mr. Wood. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter and Miss Zane."

Now that Scorpius and Albus were conveniently together, Albus blocked out the rest of the partner lists and moved to the designated table with his two group mates. Scorpius flashed a grin at him as they sat down at their table. This was a lucky grouping. Aria Zane was a quiet, though somewhat mysterious Ravenclaw. She had dark hair and blue eyes and was astoundingly beautiful, as well as intelligent.

"Well this is lucky," she commented softly, looking at the two boys. "I have the two smartest boys in our year in my group. Always good."

"Always good," Scorpius agreed, smiling at her.

Albus laughed a little as they got out their books to start their work. They had to create a potion among the three of them, the effectiveness of which could be tested for a grade. It had to be complicated too, with a certain minimum number of ingredients.

"What sort of potion do you think we should make?" Aria wondered, thumbing through her hefty potions book.

"I don't know," Albus said. "I think we could go a million different ways."

"We want to keep it simple enough that we're not overwhelmed," Scorpius contributed, leaning forward to look over Aria's shoulder. She glanced at him for a moment, a small smile on her face. Albus opened his own book, looking at his two other group-mates for a lingering second before looking down at the words on the page in front of him.

Over the sound of the other groups, Rose could be heard sniping at Lorcan, whom she was still not all that fond of. Andrew kept leaning over to calm her down with a kind hand on her shoulder, mostly to lower the risk of a cauldron exploding on someone. Only for some reason, Lysander was physically angry at Andrew and they weren't getting along either. Albus was glad they had gotten a fairly peaceable group together and turned back to Scorpius and Aria.

-CD-

Scorpius was a master. He had done it a thousand times and could do it a thousand more on command. In the end, he had come up with some twisted goal: win the heart of every girl at Hogwarts, by any means possible. It got more challenging as the years went by and the dates went by and he built up such a disreputable list of conquests. Still, in the end, he somehow managed to succeed time and time again.

It was a humorous task for a gay boy, he had to admit. It didn't make much sense. But nothing in his life made a whole heck of a lot of sense anyway. He had the powers of a charmer for both species, he imagined.

Aria Zane was no different than the rest. She was a beautiful Ravenclaw girl, very smart, very popular, even if she was quiet. To Scorpius, she was another part of the game, another part of the act.

He was with Albus. Of course he was with Albus. In fact, he was falling fast and hard for Albus Potter—faster and harder as every second went by. But that didn't mean the act could stop. In fact, because the air between him and Albus had so obviously taken a shift for the amorous, Scorpius had to step it up even more. He had to keep up the pretense. He was a first-class actor, and Aria Zane was meant to be his new leading lady.

People would suspect something was up if Scorpius started acting any differently. He had to be exactly the same as he always was, and that meant attempting to charm and hit on anything with breasts. His most present opportunity came in the form of Zane. She fit, to a tee, every requirement Scorpius would have.

And there was a major benefit to it as well. She would never go for it—she would never be interested in Scorpius. It made it easier. He could play his games for everyone to witness and there would be no possibility for it going any further, which would keep it right where the new version of Scorpius wanted it to be.

-CD-

Albus whistled to himself, heading through the library in search of a book his group would need for the Potion's project. They were going to get a good grade no matter what they came up with. Potions was, after all, one of Albus' best subjects. His dad said he got it from the grandmother he never knew, Lily Potter. Apparently she was quite good at Potions. And then, Scorpius wasn't actually bad at Potions, if he opted to apply himself, and Aria was also very good at Potions.

Albus rounded a corner of stacks, headed, he was sure, in the right direction. He dodged a book that was magically putting itself back on the shelf, and then he froze.

A couple was pressed against the bookshelves in front of him, a flash of red hair in a tangle of arms and legs. There was an odd suctioning noise, a blur of blue from the hood of one robe, a flash of scarlet from the other.

"Lily!" Albus said and the couple broke apart. One of the Scamander twins—Lysander, judging by the spiky blonde hair sticking up from his head (Lorcan's was always left longer and flatter)—jumped away and looked at Albus in horror. It was evident in Lysander's eyes that he genuinely believed Albus was going to hex him into the bookshelf.

"Oh brother," Lily said, slapping a hand to her forehead. "So apparently people _do _go into the 'dusty section that no one goes into.'" She looked pointedly at Lysander, crossing her arms across her chest in a way that reminded Albus quite a bit of his mother.

"_People _don't go into this section. _Your brother _goes into this section," Lysander said.

"Well Albus likes books," Lily said.

"Lily, why can't you look into people your own age?" Albus demanded.

"Hey, I'm over Andrew, aren't I?" she questioned, waving an impatient hand into the air.

"I can't actually tell," Albus said, walking past her to get the book he was actually there to check out.

"Oh come on," she said. "Albus, I can snog whoever I want to snog, okay? Leave me alone. I'm fifteen."

"Yeah, and Lysander's almost eighteen," Albus snapped, giving the Ravenclaw in question a threatening glare. Lysander flinched. No one wanted to be at the receiving end of one of Albus Potter's glares. The chances that there was a perfect, though cruel hex right behind it were very high.

"Albus," Lily said. "You can't watch out for me forever. You know Lysander's a good bloke. Trust him. Trust us. Everything will be fine."

Albus looked at the two of them for a moment. "So what are you, a couple? Or are you just snogging?"

"_Albus," _Lily growled.

"We haven't quite worked out the details," Lysander said, blood flowing into his cheeks.

"Yeah, I'd get on that," Albus said to him. "And I just put around this warning as a general message to anyone who looks twice at Lily: mess with her and I'll mess with you. If you catch my drift, Scamander."

Lysander nodded. He understood. Of course he understood. And he knew Albus well enough to know that there was no emptiness lurking behind that threat. He meant every word he said.

"I'm just going to grab my book and go then," Albus said, waving his selection in the air. "I'd say carry on, but I don't think I mean it."  
Against his better judgment, he left the two of them there, heading to check out his books. Madam Vix, whom he had once angered bringing his chocolate into the library, gave him a somewhat stony look as he walked up to her. Because of the gleaming badge on the chest, she had to grudgingly admit that Albus Potter was not all bad. And he truly loved her books and cared for them and sometimes helped her repair the spines on them. But he also risked getting chocolate on them, and that was nearly unforgivable.

"How are you today?" she asked.

"Good," he said. "Just thought I'd let you know, there's a… heated public display of affection going on in the stacks back there." He jerked his head in the direction he came. The big blue eyes of the young librarian looked at him for a moment, in utter horror. In a rush, she stamped his book and dove off in the direction of the happy Potter/Scamander pair.

Smirking to himself, Albus picked up his whistling again. He headed out of the library, the book tucked into his school bag. He stopped just outside of the library and he loosened his tie, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. He pulled off his robes, hanging them lazily over his arm after he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice called from behind him. A thrill spiked in Albus' heart, and he turned around to see Scorpius coming toward him.

"Hi," Albus said, trying to keep his reaction completely platonic in appearance while his body started tingling.

"Hi," Scorpius said, walking up to him.

Within seconds, they had invaded a vacant classroom, locked the door behind them and started snogging on one of the desks. Albus couldn't get enough of it. He couldn't get enough of Scorpius, enough of the feel of their lips moving together, their bodies understanding each other.

Albus could stay like this forever. He didn't care who saw or who said anything or what the world was going to do about it. As long as he had this, no bad could touch him. There was no act for him. He was falling in love and he wasn't going to hide it. He wasn't going to let anyone know who he was in love with, but he had no problems letting everyone around him know that he was plainly and simply happy.

There was that pick-up in his heart. It was a knowing beat that told him that something right was happening as he stood there. The gentle thud said he was alive, he was breathing, and there was nothing that could go wrong when the two of them were together.

-CD-

Scorpius felt his heart thud at the rush of Albus' tongue looping around his. There was some fantastic feeling he had that he couldn't put his finger on. It was a feeling he never had before. It was a feeling he only got around Albus. His body felt alive. Every cell was alert and awake to what was going on around them.

It was worth all of it. Or so it seemed in moments like this. The act. The cruelty of the world around them… it all vanished in the wake of a kiss from Albus, the feeling of Albus' arms around him. There was comfort in this place. It all created a shield from the outside world, made them impervious to the hatred that swirled around them, if just for a moment or two.

It seemed worth it, if just for a moment. But Scorpius knew that was all the more reason to keep it quiet. There was no reason to bring any pain or rejection into this. He wanted to keep it pure and untainted by the evil on the outside. Revealing all of this would bring a seeping darkness into the one bright spot that always glowed in his life. Putting that light out would be worse than anything Scorpius could even imagine.


	42. Dear James

_**A/N: Hey everyone- sorry for any recent updating delays and whatnot. I've been really busy and on vacation so I didn't really have time to update, or internet access that facilitated an easy update. That being said, I recently wrote the two most exciting chapters of this fic (so far). They will be coming soon!**_

**Chapter 42: Dear James**

~_SHM~_

_James,_

_ You and I haven't really spoken in a while. Before I really get into the heart of what I want to say, I want to let you know that I am so glad you and Maggie have gotten together. She needs someone who is down to earth, but ready to have a good time too, and I think you do that for her. It's nice to know that she has some voice of reason other than me in her life as well, seeing as she is often more my voice of reason than I am hers. You two make a fantastic couple, I am glad of it. _

_ Anyway, that wasn't quite the point of the letter, as much as I am thrilled about it. More so, the point of this letter is to ask you something. I feel like you know me really well James. You and I have been great friends for a couple of years now and I truly value the friendship we have. You know me very well at this point, simply because of the millions of conversations that passed between us in the tower. _

_ James, how well do you know me? So much hinting has come from you over the past few months. I want to know why you didn't want me to be friends with Albus. I feel like I have a right to know what you think you know about me… I know you think you know something. _

_ I promise not to be offended. It would just be better to clear up any confusion, end any speculation. If it's possible, why not? You can say what you will, what you really think. I know you've probably worried about offending me in the past, but I feel like I need to know now, just so I can clear everything up. _

_ I have seen a few of the letters you've written Maggie, simply because she isn't very secretive. I think I can infer what you're thinking, but that might just get as complicated as it sounds. _

_ Hope everything is well at the Ministry. _

_ Your friend,_

_ Scorpius _

_~SHM~_

_Scorpius,_

_ I assure you, as much as you are glad that Maggie and I are together, I am one thousand times more glad than you are. She is perhaps the most spectacular individual I have ever met in my life and I will owe you forever simply for inviting her to the New Year's Eve party at our house. _

_ But that's not the point of this letter, obviously. You know that the point is for me to reply to whatever you've asked. _

_ Of course I have been speculating—and I have been for a long time. I just don't know how to say it to you. I constantly fear that I will offend you, just by bringing it up in the slightest, because there is always a chance that I'm wrong. This is the sort of thing that it would just be awkward to be wrong about, Scorpius. _

_ That being said, I don't think I'm wrong. After so many conversations with you, I feel like I do know you well, you're right. There's something a person can infer after so many millions of conversations. Eventually, it becomes evident. Even though you try to hide it, I feel like you didn't try as hard around me, and thus things started slipping through the cracks. _

_ Then again, I could still be wrong, and you could hate me for what I'm about to say. I hope you don't go in that direction, however so…_

_ So here goes, I guess… _

_ Scorpius, are you gay? (There I said it. That was shockingly difficult to write). I have thought so for some time now—for a long time. It just seems to be the way you are. But also more than that, I can tell that you want absolutely no one to know. You want to keep it a secret for as long as possible. That's where Albus comes in._

_ I'm terrified that you're going to hurt him. From the beginning of the school year, I worried about it. I knew Albus was gay, of course, and I knew that you and Al would get along splendidly. I knew you two would get on well, and then I worried that one thing would lead to another and then you two would end up… well you know what I mean, I'm sure. Though from anything I can gather, it's already made it that far—oh Merlin, if I'm off, I'm way off, right? _

_ Anyway, that being said, I worry about Albus. He's basically the happiest, smartest, brightest, most promising person I think I have ever met. Combine that with you and I'm not sure what anyone would get. Scorpius, you're dark. You've got this darkness over you, and I know Albus will do everything in his power to find out what it is and pull it away. He'll want to unbury you. And I know you still feel so much pain sometimes, and I worry about that dragging him down. I'm sorry, but he is my brother after all. You once told me what it did to Maggie to hear you talk of you problems… I don't want that to happen to Albus._

_ And in the end, Scorpius, I think you and Albus live in two completely different worlds. In his world, everyone is kind and nice. They wouldn't care if the two of you were together. In his world, when you have something remarkable, something, I daresay, encroaching upon love, you share it with everyone. Albus doesn't see it any other way._

_ You, on the other hand, have this world of evil. To you, everyone is cruel. They would cut you so deeply if they ever knew your secrets. I know you. You see the bad in people around you. That's not necessarily a bad thing—that's simply how you are. But you know the mean streak that can shine through in men and wizards alike when something doesn't make sense to them. So you veil your secrets. You can't share them. You can't risk them in the hands of the evil people that surround you._

_ How do those two worlds combine? I see a constant tug and pull. _

_ And on top of that, the fact that you have this desire to lure away every girl at Hogwarts at some point or another, to keep up some pretense that you're a badarse melodrama villain who lurks in the bowels of the school, the pureblood Slytherin Prince… I don't know. That doesn't scream Albus to me. _

_ In the end, I see you hurting him, in some way or another. I wanted you to become friends with Lily instead, to skip over Albus. All I could see was this coming. I don't want either of you hurt, but Albus is, after all, my little brother. I would do anything for him. Including meddle in his life. So if everything I say here is true, Scorpius, please don't hurt him. I would hate to have to do something horrible to you. _

_ I await your reply. Hope school is going well._

_ Yours truly,_

_ James _

_Dear James,_

_ How is everything with you? I must say the Head Boy thing is getting kind of tiring for me. Of course I love the power just the same—that's the Slytherinish part of me, I suppose, the part that almost got me shoved into that house instead of Gryffindor._

_ Anyway, Scorpius showed me that lengthy letter you wrote to him. You should expect a reply from him soon, I know he has a lot to say. He told me, however, that I could address some of the stuff you were talking about. Scorpius is, in fact, gay. But he's freaking out now. He thinks he's really obvious. _

_ More importantly, I suppose I should let you know that he and I are together. Please don't tell anyone. Lily knows, Rose knows and Maggie knows. That should be enough. I can't tell Mum and Dad yet. We're going to have to figure that out as we go along. I just wanted to tell you not to worry, Scorpius and I… we're happy, James. Please don't worry about this and just have a little faith in me. I know what I'm getting into, perhaps more than you think. Don't worry James. I have this under control. Thanks for your concern. Just know that I'm happy._

_ Talk to you soon,_

_ Albus_

_~SHM~_

_James,_

_ Hey. Wow that was a long letter. I know Albus wrote you back, but I have a lot to say. Obviously, he confirmed everything. Yes I am gay. Yes, Albus and I are together. And we are happy. _

_ I know you have a lot of concerns, James, and that's understandable. Before I address any of those, I just want to say that yes, this has been hard for me, you're right. Over Christmas break, my parents found out. They very nearly kicked me out, which is why I came to stay with your family._

_ That being said, I'm dealing with it. The old me, the me you met, would not handle that very well. But I'm doing okay—better than expected. Mostly because of Albus. I know you think that I might bring him down, but almost the opposite happens. He lifts me up. When this odd darkness falls on me, he picks me up and brings in a bit of light. He's that bright spot for me, and I can't imagine that bright spot going out—especially not by my own doing. _

_ Your brother means a lot to me, James. If I thought I would hurt him, I wouldn't be near him. I would make it easier, break it off now. I'm not going to hurt him, James. I would hate myself if I ever did. I know the two worlds that he and I inhabit are so very different. But when we're together, we mix them together in a way that balances out. He looks out for me, I look out for him. _

_ Yes, he inhabits this mindset where the world needs to know about everything that makes him happy. I'm an actor, I like secrets and I like a show and I like to hide the things that matter to me from the harshness of the outside world. You were dead on about that. Albus understands though. For now, he understands. And maybe, one day soon, I'll be able to change my mind. Maybe after Hogwarts, maybe after our lives are on the right track. _

_ My parents' reaction is making things worse, I suppose. If I didn't think there were thousands of other people out there that would react in exactly the same way, I might be acting a little differently about this whole thing. But they're the icing on the cake, unfortunately. _

_ I just want to tell you not to worry, James. You know how you feel about Maggie? I feel that way about your brother. Albus is everything to me. I didn't think I would find something like this while I'm here at Hogwarts, James. But I got lucky. I have so many issues that I'm trying to handle everything at once, and thankfully your brother is willing to be patient—and to help me—as I figure everything out and try to organize my mind a little bit. _

_ Hopefully I will get a chance to see you soon. I figure you'll come to see Maggie soon enough at the next Hogsmeade trip, probably. If not, you should come to one of the next few Quidditch matches, just to see how your old team is doing. Or your old rivals, the Slytherins. I know—me playing Quidditch? Bet you never thought you would see that one. _

_ Talk to you soon, James, and please don't worry too much about Albus._

_ Sincerely._

_ Scorpius_

_~SHM~_


	43. Happy Birthday, Dear Albus

_**A/N: So this fanfic author wants to apologize profusely for her lack updates. I was out of town (again) and thus my internet connection was shoddy at best. My computer barely handles fanfic as is, so I couldn't update! Here it is, however, Chapter 43!**_

**Chapter 43: Happy Birthday, Dear Albus**

"Happy birthday!" The shout broke through the dream Albus was having and he jerked awake, looking at the cluster of people standing around his four poster. The entire Weasley family remaining at Hogwarts, Lily, Hugo, Fred, Lucy and Rose, stood around his bed, with Andrew and Scorpius. Each one of them was holding a present. It was a Weasley family tradition to greet each other in this fashion on birthday mornings.

However, the first words out of Albus' mouth were not "thank you." Instead, he looked at Scorpius and said, "How did you get in here?"

"I let him in," Lily declared.

"Some prefect you are," Albus scolded her. "Anyway, thanks all of you. As always."

Andrew was well used to the tradition of the Weasley family, so he didn't get impatient as they all waited for Albus to open his presents. From Rose, he got a dueling book called Dueling With Darkness. From Lily, he received a hat in the colors of Puddlemere United, his favorite Quidditch team. The other gifts he got were all related to his goal to become an auror, including a pocket Sneakascope from Andrew.

Scorpius was last. He offered out his present to Albus. It was heavy and clearly another book. Albus pulled off the paper, opening it up. The book was bound in black leather and the silver words on the cover said, "The Greatest Auror Secrets of All Time." A card fell out of it and Albus opened that too. In Scorpius' pristine script, were the words "The real present comes later."

"Well thank you everyone," Albus said. "Fantastic birthday presents from all of you, really. Now, I'm going to go shower so we can continue this celebration."

The group laughed and drifted out of the dormitory, Scorpius going with them. Albus turned to the presents from his parents and grandparents, and those from James and his other brother, Teddy. More than anything, though, he was excited to get the rest of Scorpius' gift. He figured he knew what it was.

-CD-

"Come here," Scorpius said, glancing left and right down the hallway. He grabbed Albus' hand and pulled him into the tower room where he had, once upon a time, been almost hexed into oblivion by Albus. Albus smiled to himself. Memories like that were fantastic.

"Am I getting the rest of my present?" Albus asked excitedly, taking both of Scorpius' hands in his once the door was closed.

"You are like an excited little kid," Scorpius said, laughing. "It's cute."

Albus grinned, pulling Scorpius a little closer to him. Scorpius stretched the last couple of inches to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Okay," Albus said. "Screw the presents, let's kiss for a little while."

"I could do that," Scorpius said, reaching up to wrap his arms around Albus' neck. Albus pulled him tightly to him, throwing himself into the kiss. Albus' heart accelerated as he moved his lips away from Scorpius' deciding instead to kiss his neck. He pressed Scorpius back against the wall, falling into the kiss with more passion than was perhaps normal for a typical snogging session.

"Happy eighteenth birthday," Scorpius said, smiling at him. "We've been together almost a month, Albus."

"I know," Albus said. "I can't believe it. It feels like a lot longer. In some ways. And a lot less in others, I suppose. And I can't believe I'm eighteen either."

"We're all getting so old," Scorpius said. He kissed Albus on the nose and Albus smiled at him, pressing their lips together.

"It's a good thing," Albus said. "If we weren't old, this would be highly inappropriate." He accentuated his words by pressing himself closer to Scorpius so that their hips were pressed together. Scorpius groaned a little.

"Yeah. Very good thing," Scorpius moaned, continuing the tongue battle they had started.

"But I do sort of want my present," Albus said, pulling away and stepping back.

"What are you doing to me," Scorpius growled, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed. He barked out a laugh. "It's perfect mind control. I'd probably do anything you ever asked of me, Albus."

"I want my present," Albus informed him, laughing a little.

"Fine, fine, Mr. Impatient," Scorpius said, picking his bag up off the floor. He opened it and dug inside, pulling out a leather bound book. He flipped it open, and Albus noticed it was a sketchbook. The drawings inside of it were much more detailed than any Albus had seen scribbled in Scorpius' various academic books. Scorpius turned a few pages.

"I have three options for you," Scorpius said. "You can pick whichever one you want." He flipped through the three pictures, offering the book to Albus. Albus looked through the various options.

"They're all amazing," Albus said.

"I asked you to make sure that you wanted this," Scorpius said. "Are you sure? Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I really want one," Albus said. "I think it's hot."

Scorpius chuckled. "So do I."

"Not as hot as you," Albus said. "I mean, we've already established how much your arms turn me on."

"I still think you're weird," Scorpius said, resting his chin on Albus' shoulder so he could look at the sketches while Albus did.

"It's the tattoo. And that leather cord you wear," Albus said, shrugging. "It's all very badarse."

Scorpius chuckled. "So which one do you want?"

Albus flipped to the second picture. It was a detailed side drawing of a rampant lion, all in solid black, simply a silhouette. It looked mean, but proud and fierce.

"I like this one," he said, pointing.

"Alright," Scorpius said. "On your back? Or the front?" He very carefully pulled that page of the sketchbook out, using his wand to keep it neat.

"Back of my shoulder," Albus said. He sat down on a chair, straddling the back to give Scorpius a clear shot at his shoulder.

"Take your shirt off," Scorpius commanded.

"Bossy," Albus teased, pulling his shirt off over his head. He dropped it on the floor and watched Scorpius visibly attempt to slow his heart rate down a little. Scorpius took a deep breath.

"This might hurt a little," Scorpius said. "Well… there's no _might _about it. It will hurt a little. I'm permanently scarring your body here."

"And I asked for it," Albus said. "No worries."

"Okay," Scorpius said. "I'm cleaning the area right now, just in case there's anything on your skin… sanitary purposes of course." Albus felt a cool, tingly blast on his skin. With another wave of his wand, Scorpius continued, "And now I'm shaving the area. Not that you have any hair there… I'm just saying."

"Can I look through this?" Albus asked, holding up the sketchbook.

"Um…" Scorpius said. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I won't, if you don't want me to," Albus assured him, closing the cover of the leather-bound book.

"No, it's fine," Scorpius said. "It's personal… just so you know."

"I would love to know everything about you," Albus said. "You know that. Personal as it is…"

"Go ahead," Scorpius said, and Albus could hear the smile in his voice. "Just brace yourself for any pain, okay?"

"Okay," Albus said. He turned to the front page of the book. The picture was dated back into sixth year. It was a complex sketch of a serpent winding itself around a muscled, disembodied arm. Underneath the snake's body were several angry looking lines. Albus flipped around as he felt a slight sting on his back, like someone was pinching him very hard.

Many pages later, closer to the tattoo drawings Scorpius had shown Albus, was a very detailed, fantastic work. In the picture, the shirtless body of Scorpius himself was wrapped up in the arms of an equally shirtless Albus. It was an intimate picture, the two of them holding each other desperately close, absolutely lost in each other.

"I like this one," Albus said, feeling another sharp pinch on his back. He cringed for a moment.

Scorpius stopped, looking over Albus' shoulder again. Albus could almost hear him blushing. "Oh. That one."

"It's fantastic," Albus said, turning to smile at Scorpius.

"Hold still, let me finish this," Scorpius said, running his hands through Albus' hair and planting a careful kiss on the shoulder he wasn't tattooing.

"Sorry," Albus said.

The pinching feeling continued as Albus skimmed through the drawings of Maggie, some of himself, some self portraits of Scorpius. It was all very good.

"You're amazing at this," he commented as the pinching feeling stopped but the heated tingle feeling—that wasn't painful, more so uncomfortable.

"Thanks," Scorpius said. "It's just a hobby. I do it when I need to, you know what I mean?" A cooling, icy feeling started spreading over the sore area of Albus' back.

"You're really good," Albus said. Scorpius came around the front of him as the coolness centered itself on the pinched feeling of Albus' back. Albus looked up at him. "Are you done?"

"I am," Scorpius said. "I put a protective cooling shield on it. So basically, you should be good for baths and showers for a day or so. And it will keep all dust and whatnot out of it, as well as keep it from hurting or chafing against your shirt. I should probably replace the charm tomorrow morning, just to keep it up."

"Can I see it?" Albus wondered.

"Sure," Scorpius said, stooping down to his bag again. He pulled out two mirrors. One was a simple mirror, a rectangle with a frame, meant to hang on the wall. Albus recognized it from the wall next to Scorpius' bed. The other was a hand mirror, silvery and ornate with an intricate design on the back. When he saw Albus raising an eyebrow at the second mirror, Scorpius explained, "Maggie's."

With Albus holding the hand mirror and Scorpius standing behind him with the small rectangular mirror, they managed to finagle enough so that Albus could see the tattoo. It turned out splendidly of course. It was a dark black silhouette, the perfect shape. It looked perfect.

"Wow," Albus said. "That's awesome. You'll have to show me how to do that at some point."

"So you can make money using that skill in Knockturn Alley?" Scorpius questioned as Albus stood up.

"Sure," Albus said. "Always good to have a fallback career." He put his arms around Scorpius. "Thank you so much. I really like it, Scorpius."

"You're welcome," Scorpius said, giving Albus a quick peck on the lips. "I'm glad you like it, I really am."

"It's definitely what I wanted," Albus said.

"I would've given it to you not for a birthday present, had you just asked," Scorpius said.

"It's okay," Albus said. "I didn't need anything more than that, you know."

"Too bad," Scorpius said. "I got you something else anyway."

"Did you really?" Albus questioned.

"Yes," Scorpius said. "I'm not sure if you'll like it. It's just something I've had… and I thought you might like to have it. It's sort of a symbolic gesture of sorts. Basically, it says, I know I don't want to tell anyone, but I want you to know that I care so much about you, that this means something to me, even if we have to keep it a secret." He passed Albus a small black box.

Albus lifted the lid carefully. Sitting on the black velvet cushion inside was a pendant hanging from a wide silver chain. The pendant was a pair of silver snakes, wound together, beautiful. One snake had emerald eyes, and the other eyes made of rubies. Albus understood the symbolism instantly. He undid the clasp of the necklace and put it around his neck. The pair of snakes landed just above his heart.

"You're always right there," Albus said, taking Scorpius' hand and holding it over the pendant. Maybe it was a cheesy line, but he meant every word of it.


	44. The Greatest Actor of All

**Chapter 44: The Greatest Actor of All**

"I don't want you to go anywhere," Albus said, sliding his fingers into Scorpius' to keep him from walking out the door. "You're not getting away that easily, just because there's dinner."

"After dinner," Scorpius promised. "I'm sorry, Albus. I'm starving. But after dinner." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Albus felt something jump in his stomach.

"Okay," he said eagerly, standing up quickly. He let go of Scorpius' hand, but he desperately wanted to finish dinner.

-CD-

"I want to be alone with you," Albus whispered in Scorpius' ear as they walked out of the Great Hall.

Scorpius smirked, his heart picking up its pace as he felt Albus' hot breath on his neck.

"Come with me then," Scorpius said, shrugging simply, the smirk impossible to eliminate.

"Where are we going?" Albus asked excitedly.

"Albus!" Rose's shout came from behind them. "It's time for your cake!"

"Cake?" Scorpius questioned, looking at Albus. Albus' grin of excitement faded into a frown of annoyance.

"A Weasley family tradition," Albus explained grudgingly as a troop of his cousins—plus Andrew—approached, the same party that had greeting him that morning, Scorpius noted.

"You're welcome to join us, Malfoy," Rose said. "I'm just about to run down and get the cake and we'll have it up in the Gryffindor common room."

"We'll make this quick," Albus hissed under his breath.

"Oh, I know you can't possibly shirk this familial duty," Scorpius said, still smirking. "Alright, let's get this party started, shall we?"

Rose ducked off to the kitchens to go get the cake while the rest of the Weasley family members, plus Scorpius and Andrew, headed up the many levels of stairs to go up to the Gryffindor tower. A big part of Scorpius wanted to reach out and seize Albus' hand—just to hold his hand. But the rest of him knew that that was impossible. He couldn't let that secret out yet.

"It really goes against the grain bringing you in here," Albus declared as they clambered through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor Common room.

"It's okay. I practically overdose on gold and scarlet," Scorpius said. "Gaudy, isn't it?"

"That's just cold," Albus said, and the other Gryffindor's glared in agreement. "At least it's not a crypt."

"I like my crypt, thank you very much," Scorpius said, frowning at a gold leafed lion's head. "It's homey."

Albus snorted. "Right. Homey. That's the word for it. I've actually seen it. Not that homey, everyone. Very green. Very dark. Chilly."

"Crypt-like?" Andrew offered, laughing.

"Laugh all you want, you snarky Gryffindors," Scorpius said, crossing his arms. "Brains over brawn."

"And Slytherins have neither," Lily declared. "That's the Ravenclaw motto, in case you forgot."

"Did your Ravenclaw boyfriend teach you that?" Albus teased her, causing Lily to role her eyes.

"Actually, Slytherin is considered to be the second most intelligent house after Ravenclaw," Scorpius argued.

"And so… how did Rose and Albus end up in Gryffindor?" Fred wondered. "The best in their year?"

Rose came through the portrait hole then, levitating a large chocolate cake in front of her. Smiling, she set it on a table, effectively ending the house loyalty jesting. She produced a pack of candles from her pocket and waved her wand to send them into the cake. Another flick of her wand had them lit.

They sang for Albus and the cake was served after Albus blew out the candles with a wish.

"Unfortunately, Scorpius and I had plans to study for Arithmancy," Albus lied, smiling at Scorpius.

"Studying on your _birthday?" _Lily said, incredulous. "Do you ever take a break?"

"No," Albus said. "I'm going to fail Arithmancy. Scorp actually knows what's going on." Scorpius almost laughed. The idea that Albus wouldn't know what was going on in any class was ridiculous. After a second, a knowing look crept into Lily's eyes. She held her tongue but smirked for a moment.

"We'll see all of you later," Scorpius said.

"Thanks for the cake, Rosie. I love all of you," Albus said. "Sorry I have to rush off, really."

Within ten minutes, it was very clear that Albus was not very sorry at all. Scorpius had decided that the Room of Requirement was the only place they would be left alone, but where they could be very comfortable for an extended period of time. Once they were through the doors, after Scorpius asked it for very specific accommodations, Albus had him in a death grip hug, kissing him desperately.

"Wow," Scorpius said, laughing once Albus pulled back.

"I know," Albus said smugly. "We're getting good at that, I think."

"You sound so smug," Scorpius said, touching Albus' nose. "Boy are you proud of yourself."

"Yeah…" Albus said. "Yeah I am… Mostly because I'm crazy for you… Desperately crazy… But… I don't want to say anything…"

"What don't you want to say?" Scorpius wondered, stroking Albus' cheek.

Albus shook his head, resting his forehead on Albus' shoulder.

"I think the Room of Requirement is tapping into some of our deeper thoughts," Scorpius said. "Merlin. A bed, a couch, a carpet, books… does it think we're moving in?"

"What did you ask it for?" Albus wondered.

"I said I needed a place for you and I to be alone together, uninterrupted and happy," Scorpius said. "It seems to think this is what we need. For that, I mean."

"Hmm," Albus said, sitting down on the plush, squishy sofa near the equally plush and squishy carpet. He patted the seat next to him, and Scorpius joined him.

"What don't you want to say, Albus?" Scorpius asked again, taking both of Albus' hands in his.

"I'm not going to say it, okay?" Albus said, smiling at him a little.

"Okay," Scorpius said.

"I'm going to kiss you now," Albus declared, practically pouncing on him. He knocked Scorpius backwards onto the couch, the dominant Albus—not the vulnerable one hiding himself—emerged, taking control of the situation. Scorpius like that. He liked being the more vulnerable one… if this was what he got for it. This dominant Albus figure was extremely hot…

Scorpius kissed him back. In all honestly, it was more tongue than lips at this point. It was the sort of thing that made his mother nauseous when she saw it in public—on any straight couple. It was almost worthy of Madame Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade, but it was a little too lusty even for that environment.

In all honesty, so much of Scorpius wanted to rip of Albus' clothes and have Albus fuck him so hard, right into that couch, at that moment. He wanted nothing more than that…

Except. He wanted things to be okay. He didn't want to rush anything or screw it up. It meant too much to him at that moment. He couldn't and shouldn't think like that. It was making him hard…

As a pair, they accidentally rolled right off the couch onto the floor. Albus had Scorpius pinned underneath him, not allowing for an inch of moment. Thankfully, the soft carpet was there. The Room of Requirement was certainly intelligent. It didn't even hurt to be pressed there against the floor. Then again, Scorpius was fairly certain he could have been pressed into a bed of nails at that point and he was so lost in the kiss he wouldn't have even noticed it for a moment.

As always, he was haunted by what the world would think. It was always lurking somewhere in the back of his brain. He just couldn't understand people… how could something this amazing be wrong? In the end, did it matter who you loved? It was all love. It was all a little more good in the world. There should be nothing wrong with that. There should be nothing wrong with the amount of happiness Scorpius felt every time he saw Albus sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall every single morning.

Scorpius knew what Albus wanted to say to him—or what he wasn't going to say, but what he thought and what he hid. He knew why Albus hid it too. Less than a month was too soon to say "I love you." But in an odd sort of way, Scorpius saw it all as sort of relative. For one thing, acknowledged or not, he'd felt he and Albus were well on track to a relationship—if not there already—long before the day after Christmas. They slipped with such ease into a relationship—despite the secret aspect of all of it—that it was clearly right. In the end, Scorpius didn't think there was a too soon if it felt so right…

But he would keep his mouth shut and he knew Albus would too… because it wasn't time to say such things.

Albus pulled away from him for a moment, chest heaving with the struggle for air.

"Too much… need air…" Albus gasped, laughing a little. He sat up, leaning back against the couch, still seated on the floor. Scorpius propped himself up on an elbow, his chest heaving just as much as Albus' was. Scorpius laughed too.

"We really _are _getting good at that," Scorpius said, nodding promptly.

"I know, I know," Albus said, rubbing his face. He grinned at Scorpius, that perfect, crooked grin. Scorpius' heart fluttered stupidly in his chest. He slid over to sit next to Albus, leaning his head on the dark haired boy's shoulder. Albus leaned his head, in turn, against Scorpius' head. Scorpius let his eyes drift closed for a moment.

"You're going to give me heart problems," Scorpius said. "No one should have that much exercise in one minute…"

"Right back at you," Albus said. "I can't help myself when I'm around you. I can feel my heart screaming in protest—just as soon as I look at you. It starts speeding away, a hundred miles an hour." He kissed the top of Scorpius' head.

"This is perfect," Scorpius said. He didn't have any other way to describe it.

"It's the best birthday of my entire life," Albus declared.

"Really?" Scorpius said. "The best _ever?"_

"Ever," Albus said. "Hands down. No competition. I think it's because it's the first time where I'm really allowed to be myself, no hiding. At least not at this moment…"

"It gets harder every day to not walk hand in hand with you down the corridors…" Scorpius said.

"Feel free to start doing that any day," Albus said.

"I can't, I can't," Scorpius said, shaking his head a little in shame.

"I know," Albus said, brushing his fingers across Scorpius' cheek. "Don't worry about it. Just know that whenever you decide to let the world know, feel free to let it loose, because I have no qualms with it."

"You can tell people," Scorpius said. "You can tell everyone about yourself, I mean—just about you."

"Scorpius…" Albus said. "Don't you think people will put two and two together? If I let people know the rest of the world will figure it out about you, don't you think?"

"I think you underestimate how good of an actor I actually am," Scorpius said.

"Scorp, I know exactly how good of an actor you are. I assure you, I'm not at all worried about your acting capabilities." There was a hint of exasperation in Albus' tone with those words. Scorpius frowned.

"I'm sorry?" he said. He wasn't sure he was actually sorry.

"You're not, so don't say you are," Albus said. "Besides, it's okay. I promise, Scorpius."

"Okay," Scorpius said. "I believe you."

"Good. You should," Albus said. "I never lie." The sound of a smile filled out Albus' voice and Scorpius could picture it beyond his closed eyelids, crooked and laughing, reassuring Scorpius gently.

Scorpius smiled. "I don't lie either." But he did act well. And maybe all acting was a lie, in some sort of sense. In fact, actors were the world's greatest liars.


	45. The Risk

**Chapter 45: The Risk**

"Hey, Albus," Andrew greeted him as he walked into the boys' dormitory a few evenings later.

"Hey," Albus said, dropping onto his bed. He flopped onto his back and yawned heavily. The dormitory was empty except for the two of them.

"So…" Andrew said. "Can I talk to you for a second, Albus?"

"Yeah," Albus said, tilting his head to look at his oldest and best friend—other than Rose, of course.

"Well…" Andrew said. "I just wanted to say, again… I'm sorry for… breaking up with Lily and starting to date Rose… I didn't mean for that to happen. I really, really did like Lily, Albus. I really did."

"I know you did," Albus said. "And I know… I know you didn't want to hurt her. You didn't decide to fall in love with my cousin instead."

"I really did care about Lily," Andrew said. "But Rose… Rose is absolutely amazing."

"She is," Albus said. "You're right. And I think Lily's moved on… though I'm not sure if you call snogging Lysander Scamander for the fun of it moving on… I'm not exactly sure what that is…"

Andrew shook his head. "From what Lysander says, he really, really cares about her, too."

"Really?" Albus said. "Hmm… that's… well I guess that's good, though I wish Lily would look at people her own age."

Andrew sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way, seeing as I am with Rose, but I just want to say… your sister is far too pretty for the fifth year boys…"

"Oh dear Merlin…" Albus said, closing his eyes. Those words caused him physical pain.

"I'm just saying," Andrew said. "But yeah. That being said… I just wanted to make sure that you and I are good…"

Albus propped himself up on his elbow. "Oh. Oh yeah, of course, Andrew. You didn't step too far over the line. I mean, it was close… Lily is my little sister after all."

Andrew laughed. "Yeah. Again. Sorry. But mate, seriously, I've been hanging out with Rose too much… I think I need to hang out with a guy again." He laughed. "You hang out with Scorpius all the time, it abandons me in this world of female… craziness. Rose craziness." He laughed affectionately.

"Oh…" Albus said. "I didn't realize I was abandoning you with the women…"

"I thought it was because you were mad at me for the whole Lily thing," Andrew said, laughing. He sat up and moved to the end of his bed, leaning down to dig in his trunk. He came out with a bottle of firewhiskey. He held it up, offering it to Albus. "You want some?"

"I won't say no to that," Albus said, waving his wand and conjuring up two glasses. Andrew splashed a bunch into the glass for Albus and then he splashed some into his own.

"Cheers," Andrew said, raising his glass. Albus raised his too and then took a hearty sip.

"I'm not ditching you because of the Lily thing," he said, swishing the liquid around in his glass.

"Oh," Andrew said. "Okay. Hey… I'm not trying to get all girly emotional here… I just think you've been a bit off since… like December. Since you started hanging out with Malfoy all the time… is something up?"

Albus frowned. "I didn't think I'd been any different."

"Well you sort of have been," Andrew said. "Rose told me she was worried about you… but I don't think she is anymore, so you clearly told her something to calm her down about it."

"I can't really tell you…" Albus said, watching the liquid swish around in glass. He didn't look up at Andrew, no matter how good of friends they were.

"Oh," Andrew said. "Okay."

Albus sighed. He gritted his teeth and looked up. "Well… I mean… you are my best mate… and you've known me forever. It just freaks me out a little bit to say this…" In the end, he wanted to tell Andrew—honestly, he wanted to tell everyone, as much as he could, whenever he could. He just worried that this could be the end of the friendship that had lasted his entire life… He tried to swallow the major lump that was manifesting in his throat. He cleared it once or twice.

Andrew looked at him patiently, taking a hearty swig of his firewhiskey.

"Andrew… I'm sort of… gay," Albus said, instantly looking back down into his glass. It was out there. In a way, it felt good. In another way, it terrified him…

Andrew was a quiet for a moment. Very quiet. In fact, it sort of freaked Albus out a little bit. He attempted to look up, out of the depths of his glass, to chance this, just for a moment. His heart thudded with the fear of whatever reaction was coming his way. Andrew may have been his best mate, a family friend for years upon years. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't react poorly to this…

"Oh," Andrew finally said, meeting Albus' gaze. "Yeah. You know, that's not actually that surprising to me…"

"Wait, what?" Albus questioned. "Seriously? Why is no one surprised when I tell them?"

"Albus, I know you," Andrew said, chuckling. "After a while—after you had no girlfriends—it sort of seemed… like… well something was up. So this is a good explanation for it, honestly."

"Does it freak you out?" Albus asked, gripping his glass very tightly. "Because… I mean… I understand."

"Albus?" Andrew cut him off. "Albus, are you at all attracted to me?"

"No…" Albus said. "You're my best friend. That would just be weird…"

"It's not a problem," Andrew said. "You're still Albus… I'm not… I'm not freaked out about it. You're the same guy. The only difference is that I know this now… It's completely… it's irrelevant to this friendship."

"Oh… okay. Wow. Than k you, Andrew," Albus said.

"Not a problem, mate," Andrew said, raising his glass again and relaxing on his back. He seemed to think for a moment. "Wait… is Malfoy… is he also?"

"Oh no. Oh Merlin no!" Albus said quickly, shoving that idea away as fast as possible. "I just… it was easier to talk about this sort of thing to someone I didn't know as well… an objective person. And he and James were always good friends… So it was nice to have someone to talk to about this…"

"Yeah… I guess that makes sense. Besides, he's been with too many girls to be gay…" Andrew said.

"Yeah… that's true." Albus shifted uncomfortably.

-CD-

Scorpius could feel eyes on him. He had a seat in the library at a fairly obvious table. He was finalizing his application to Gringotts, in order to be selected for Curse-Breaker Training. But the feeling of someone watching him had started distracting him already.

After a few moments, he lifted his head. He chanced a glance over his shoulder. A few tables away, Aria Zane was scribbling intently at something, but there was an obvious and distinct blush in her cheeks. Scorpius felt himself color too, blood flooding in underneath his skin.

He was embarrassed that she was watching him, but it didn't really bother him or anything. Scorpius didn't care which girls wanted to check him out, from here or there. It didn't matter to him if they wanted to. In fact, he liked it if they did. It kept up the perfect image. Aria Zane was the perfect tool. The poor girl had no idea what she was getting into, of course. Seeing as Scorpius was about as gay as the day was long, this could only end in disappointment for her. Sure, Scorpius was definitely going to hell for being a horrible person. He had every intention of leading her on—as far as she would follow, that is.

Scorpius turned back to his application, determined to finish it and send it in the post that evening, before it got too late to head up to the Owlery. He had already done a rough draft, which his head of house had approved and added a recommendation to. Scorpius had several recommendations, in fact—one from the Headmistress herself, as well.

Everything was done in his most perfect handwriting. The one benefit of being a Malfoy was that perfect handwriting was practically born in you. In order to be from a notable family, your handwriting had to reflect the good blood. Or so, apparently, was the opinion of his mother's mother, who had informed him that at a young age. Scorpius smirked to himself, thinking of Albus' untidy, though legible, script. If anyone in the world had genuinely good blood—just as far as human beings were concerned—Albus certainly did.

Scorpius signed his name—full name, Hyperion and all—at the bottom of the application before waving his wand. It folded up and Scorpius sealed it carefully with the Malfoy family crest. Perhaps people heard bad things about Malfoys, but Scorpius couldn't actually hide who he was, or pretend to be someone else.

As that thought process went through his head, he laughed at the irony. He was always pretending!

The shadow of a figure fell across the table. "What are you sealing there?" Aria Zane wondered. "That looks very fancy." She had a teasing tone in her voice.

"It's my application," Scorpius said. "To become a curse-breaker?"

"Coincidence," she said. "I just finished my application to enter training to be a healer."

"You're interested in healing?" Scorpius said, starting to pick up his things and pack everything but the sealed application—with its recommendations included—into his bag.

"Yes I am," she said. "It's the only thing I can see myself doing. My grandmother was a healer."

"That's great," Scorpius said. "The world can never have too many healers, in my opinion."

"Well…" she said. "The world can never have too many _good _healers."

Scorpius laughed, shaking his head.

"Are you heading to the Owlery?" she asked. "I'm going to go take my application there now."

"Yeah, I was just about to head that way," Scorpius said. "We can go together."

"So curse-breaking," she said thoughtfully. "That's very… exciting."

"It is," Scorpius said. "I think so, at least. And there's risk involved, which is always fun, in my opinion."  
"Risk?" she said. "Yes, I suppose that makes it more entertaining."

"At least for me," Scorpius said. "I could never do a boring, stuffy desk job. That's just not for me. You couldn't shut me up like that."

"I can see that," she said. "You must be good at Ancient Runes. I'm not in that class. I couldn't fathom continuing it after fifth year. That was enough for me."

"It's my favorite class," Scorpius said. "Well, that and Charms and Defense and… well everything but Herbology, mostly."

"Speaking of classes, we really need to make headway on our Potions project," she said.

"Albus is a genius at Potions," Scorpius said. "I don't think we're going to do too poorly, even if we made him do all the work—"

"Which we wouldn't, because that's wrong," Aria scolded him.

"Oh I know, I know," he said. "That's why I said _if."_

"Ah…" she said. "You and Albus are good friends, right?"

"Yeah, we are," Scorpius said. He smiled a little to himself. "Really good friends."

"I thought so. It makes working with you two more enjoyable. It's better to be with people that enjoy each other's presence," Aria said, frowning a little. She seemed to be thinking about something.

"Well… you could also argue that it makes us more likely to be distracted," Scorpius pointed out.

"You could argue that," she said. "But I don't think I've ever seen Albus Potter shirk on his school work. He's very diligent. He and that cousin of his." She sighed and then smiled. "I don't understand why they're not in Ravenclaw with me… Same with you, honestly."

"It's all blood," Scorpius said. "I'm a Malfoy. There's only one place in the world they could ever put me. And same with them. Potters and Weasleys are always in Gryffindor."  
She was quiet again as she thought for a moment. Her thinking certainly unnerved Scorpius too… it was as if she knew too much for her own good.


	46. The Stained Glass Window, Part II

_**A/N: Hey all, a couple of things. The next two chapters (47 and 48) are my two favorite chapters that I have written for this book. So be excited! Also, people asked once upon a time, how long this fic was going to be. My average fic is 70 chapters. I think this one MIGHT be a little longer, but I'm not sure. **_

**Chapter 46: The Stained Glass Window, Part II**

Albus whipped his wand through the air, no words coming out of his mouth. A shot of light fired from his wand and he smirked, pleased with himself. Frowning at him, Scorpius raised his wand, shaking off the effects of the spell, having been unable to produce the right shield to deflect it. He screwed up his face in concentration and swirled his wand violently. Albus produced the strongest shield he could muster, defending himself and causing the hex to bounce back in Scorpius' direction.

"Well done, well done, Mr. Potter," Professor Thomas awarded him. "Fifteen points to Gryffindor for that."

Scorpius scowled. "How are you doing it so flawlessly?"

Albus shrugged. "It's in my blood."

"Bloody auror-wannabe," Scorpius scoffed, raising his wand again. "Let me try again."

"You need to not think about it so much," Albus said, very gently flicking his wand while Scorpius wasn't paying close enough attention. Scorpius caught the Tickling Jinx head on and he collapsed to the floor, laughing hysterically as invisible hands tickled all over his body. Albus was well-known among the seventh years for having he most intense Tickling Jinx—after a minute, it started to approach torture.

"Mature," Rose scolded from where she was practicing with Andrew.

"I do my best," Albus said.

"Okay—oh—okay, Albus, you, you can let… up… now," Scorpius gasped, clutching his sides as he writhed on the floor. Albus flicked his wand casually again, offering out a hand to help Scorpius to his feet. Scorpius scowled again, but the scowl simply did a poor job of masking a grin.

"I had to," Albus informed him.

"Yes, obviously someone _made _you do that," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. He attempted to covertly flick his wand, but Albus shielded himself again, finding it impossible to keep a smirk off his face.

"I quit," Scorpius declared, dropping his hand at his side. "If they don't let you into the Auror Program—especially after the practical application test—they'll be crazy."

"We'll just have to see," Albus said. "Are you sure you don't want to try again?"

"Class is almost over," Scorpius said. "You know, if I was partnered with anyone else, I would probably be doing outstandingly."

"You would be," Albus said. "I have faith in you."

"Of course, I was partnered with you, and you're better than _anyone _in this class," Scorpius said, pouting. Albus couldn't help but smile at him. He found Scorpius absolutely adorable. Scorpius loathed being one-upped and he made that fairly obvious.

"You two are overly dramatic," Rose declared. "You two chose to be partners!"

"Shut up," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. Rose just laughed at them, having her own little secret with herself, it would seem.

-CD-

Albus walked down the corridors, yawning to himself. The evening was encroaching on them and he wanted to get up to the Common Room to relax a little bit before he had to do some rounds. Since dinner he had been in the library. He'd taken to relaxing, loosening his tie so that it hung from his neck, undoing the top button or so on his shirt. He would have shoved his robes into his bag if there had been any room, but it was so full of books that there was no chance of that. Instead, he left it draped over his arm.

His mind was reeling. All he could think about was Scorpius. Scorpius had been sitting across from him the entire time he was in the library. They knew how to get to work without distracting each other, but occasionally Albus would look up and there would be a little smirk on Scorpius' face as he worked diligently on his Defense essay. Albus was finding it harder and harder to get Scorpius off his mind.

In his trek to the Gryffindor tower, Albus passed by the stained glass window he and Scorpius walked past after the first Quidditch match—the one that had had the two men, with their arms wrapped around each other. Albus didn't usually come this way, and when he did, he didn't really think about this window. But this time, it caught his eye. The scene was different from the last time he had seen it. It had morphed into something else entirely, something far more graphic and, honestly, more erotic than the scene Albus had seen before.

He froze, looking around him to see if anyone else was seeing what he was seeing. He figured no one was seeing the same image he was… but at the same time he didn't understand. He looked at it for a moment. For a stained glass window, it was sure doing a number on him. He needed to get back to the Gryffindor tower before the bloody window aroused him.

Much of him wanted to run off to the library again and do some research. He was certain that there had to be some documentation of this window in the depths of the stacks somewhere. But he couldn't do that. He really needed to go up to the Gryffindor tower and get ready for some rounds.

-CD-

Albus enjoyed his Head Boy rounds. The prefects paired off by house, two pairs a night, but the Head Boy and Head Girl worked solo, splitting the task up as they chose. Albus liked the freedom, he liked walking around the school alone. If he wanted to, he could stay up as late as he wanted. Not to mention everything was made a little easier by use of the Marauder's Map.

Tonight, things were fairly quiet. Albus liked it this way. He could wander alone and think about what he wanted with no interruptions, just the dim torchlight to illuminate the corridors.

His mind was on Scorpius. Lately his mind was always on Scorpius. Scorpius made him so incredibly happy. Everything was wonderful. Everything was so perfect, it was going splendidly.

He frowned. Yeah. Everything was perfect. Maybe. In the back of his head, a little voice was telling him that that, in fact, was not true. Not everything was as perfect as it felt when they were together. Perfect would be if Scorpius was okay with telling people they were together. Perfect would be if they could walk down the hallway holding hands. If Scorpius would act, for once, like it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if someone found out about them.

Albus hated the idea that he was some fantastically kept secret. He hated Scorpius' little act. He could pretend that he didn't. He could pretend that it wasn't always lingering in the back of his mind. He didn't like it. He had seen the way the act went. There couldn't be a look that lasted too long between the two of them. The teasing had to be kept to a minimum, lest it be mistaken for flirting. It felt like there were rules everywhere. They couldn't have any physical contact, they couldn't say the wrong thing. Albus felt like he was always watching where he was stepping.

He cared so much about Scorpius, but he didn't know how long that little lingering, thinking part of him could take it. Everything felt so right with Scorpius, when they were in the moment. And Albus wanted to be with him so badly. But he couldn't get over the thought that Scorpius could act forever.

Scorpius was, if anything, thorough. He wouldn't act halfway, Albus knew that. Albus was just concerned. He didn't know quite how far Scorpius was willing to go. Sure, Scorpius had the Bex Overton opportunity in front of him and he had turned it down. But in a sense, that kept up with the act. Scorpius got to act the playboy part, rejecting the girl after they kissed at least twice and shagged too… But there were other girls.

For instance, Aria Zane. Since the three of them started working in a group for Potions, Albus had been making some observations. The way the two of them interacted… it tended to make Albus a little nervous, truth be told. He knew Scorpius wasn't actually interested in her, but it seemed like Aria could possibly be interested in him as more than Potions partners. Albus knew the games that Scorpius could play to keep up the appearance.

Albus figured that Aria Zane was the next project for Scorpius, the next woman on the list.

How far could Scorpius take it? Albus wasn't sure. He just knew how far it could go before it really started to bother him. It was getting close already.

Jealousy wasn't becoming on anyone, but Albus wanted Scorpius and he wasn't about to share him, even if he had to share him with some weird flirting thing that Scorpius wasn't invested in.

Skimming the Marauder's Map, Albus nodded happily. Scorpius was just where he ought to be, in the Slytherin common room with Maggie.

Suddenly, Albus frowned to himself. He stuffed the Map into his pocket. He was worried about his relationship for sure, but in the end, he didn't want to become one of those obsessive, untrusting boyfriends. He wouldn't do that, because it wasn't something he would like to see in himself and Scorpius didn't deserve that.

Albus leaned against the wall, resting his head on the cool stone. He couldn't let this stress him out so much. It would ruin him.

Albus got such an odd floating feeling when he thought about Scorpius. Scorpius was so perfect and beyond anything Albus could have hoped for while still at Hogwarts. Albus was falling so hard and fast for him it wasn't even fair. He knew that it was on the verge of love, if it wasn't there already.

If it wasn't love, he didn't know what was. Albus got a fluttery feeling in his stomach every time he saw him. He missed Scorpius when they were apart. Albus cared so much about him that any sort of pain Scorpius felt, Albus himself felt it too. Scorpius could have asked for anything and Albus probably would have given it to him. Albus only wanted him to be happy. He would do anything to make him happy.

Right now, "anything" meant protecting the secret and keeping the relationship between them.

Then again, Albus felt that Scorpius would probably be happier if he could actually be his true self and put everything out there. He was always so much happier around Albus, when it was just the two of them and there was no need to pretend.

But Albus wouldn't win that argument and he knew it. No matter how certain Albus was that they could handle whatever hatred the world dealt out to them, he would never be able to convince Scorpius that it would be okay.

Albus ran his hands through his hair, stopping to look out a big window onto the grounds. He had to press his face very close to it to see past the reflection of the torch on the wall behind him. Out there, it was still a winter wonderland, just how Albus liked it. So much of him wanted to go out there right then, but if he was caught… well, even being Head Boy didn't really warrant a nighttime wandering of the grounds.

The sloping hills of the grounds had a perfect blanket, ripe for a snowball fight or snow angels, or something like that. Albus smirked. That could be fun. He would bring the idea up to Rose. The two of them were unstoppable when it came to planning and gathering people for large events. A nice inter-house snowball fight would be a pretty good thing for Albus right now. With all the stress that the older students were going through, it might be just what they all needed to relax a little.

Not to mention the fact that Albus would definitely get no small amount of joy out of hitting Aria Zane in the face with a big, icy snowball.


	47. Of Snowball Fights and Fools

_**A/N: This is my favorite chapter (so far) of this fic. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 47: Of Snowball Fights and Fools**

Saturday, the twenty-seventh of January, dawned with an odd atmosphere buzzing through the hall of Hogwarts Castle. Rose Weasley and Albus Potter had worked a feat of magic that didn't require a wand. Since Monday, they had managed to advertise, plan, and organize a school-wide snowball fight to take place on the grounds after breakfast. They had even wrangled the support of the Hogwarts staff. Sign-up sheets went up on the boards in all four common rooms. For each house, somewhere between thirty and fifty people had signed up. No one could resist some good inter-house competition.

As soon as breakfast was finished, people began to pull on hats and scarves, tugging gloves and mittens on to keep their fingers warm. Because it was Albus and Rose, and because Maggie was making him, Scorpius too pulled on his boots and Muggle jacket to join in what was sure to be an intense battle. People flooded out onto the lawn, already dividing up into houses, four clumps on the snow. Several staff members came out to referee anything that got out of hand, and to observe the spectacle. They formed their own clumps.

Rose and Albus stood in front of them, both bundled from head to toe. Rose looked a little too fashionable to be ready to engage in a snow war, Scorpius thought, but he kept his opinions to himself, standing in the back of the Slytherin clump with the other seventh years.

"Okay everyone," Rose said, her voice magically magnified. "Welcome! I can't believe we had so many people say they wanted to play. Anyway, after Albus and I explain the rules, we're going to pass out these armbands that we charmed. They're color coordinated, so if you don't know which house someone is in, you can just look at their arm, because I know some of the first years don't know all of the older kids that well."

"Anyway," Albus cut in, his voice just as loud. "Here are the rules… At the start of the fight, Madam Jinx will blow her whistle, just like in Quidditch. It is up to each house to fortify itself where it sees fit. You can make whatever fortifications you would like, build as many snowballs as you want. The only rule is that only five people from each house are allowed to use their wands and they must be from at least three different years in school. You can decide amongst yourselves. No shield charms or protective charms may be cast. Before battle begins, you will have five minutes to discuss strategy as a house."

"Your head of house is allowed to play, but they cannot use their wand," Rose took over again. "Madam Jinx will call the end of the fight in an hour, or if people start getting exhausted, sooner as she sees fit. So the question on everyone's mind: how is it determined who wins? Well, the armbands that Albus and I have charmed are pretty fantastic. In the sense that they sort of send and receive messages. So when someone gets hit, the armbands will transmit that to a tally counter. Basically, we will be able to determine who got the most hits and who was hit the most. The scores will be figured out from there."

"That's extraordinary magic," Scorpius couldn't help but award them.

"We had a little help," Rose admitted.

"How do we know, seeing as you're both from Gryffindor, that you haven't further charmed them to rack up the Gryffindor scores?" Maggie demanded.

"Because, as your Head Boy and Girl," Albus said, "we hope you understand that we have more integrity than that. This is supposed to be fun. Besides, you all should know by now that, as Gryffindors, we like to win fair and square, with no foul play."  
"Which is more than can be said for some houses," Rose contributed, staring pointedly at the Slytherins.

"Those are fighting words, Weasley!" Maggie barked loudly. Scorpius laughed next to her.

"Good thing we're about to have a snowball fight then," Albus said.

"What do we get if we win?" A Ravenclaw boy demanded from the front of that clump.

"Oh the usual," Rose said.

"External glory," Albus said.

"Pride," Rose said.

"Gloating privileges…" Albus said.

"Alright, let's play," Lily suggested from somewhere in the Gryffindor mob.

"Okay, your five minutes to strategize start now," Rose said. "Madam Jinx, it's your game."

Scorpius and Maggie instantly took control of the Slytherins. Her Quidditch strategy and Scorpius' scheming mind were the perfect leadership team for any sort of sport or game. They both would use their wands, along with a sixth year, a fifth year and a fourth year. Over on the Gryffindor side of things, Albus, Rose and Andrew had their wands out, as well as Lily and Hugo. From what Scorpius could see of the Ravenclaws, they had elected the Scamander twins and Aria Zane. The others Scorpius didn't know and he didn't even bother to look at the Hufflepuffs.

The Slytherins all donned their green arm bands, which adjusted itself to Scorpius' arm without his interference. He spun his dark wand around in his hand, glancing at Albus, who was directing the Gryffindor team around, a Scarlet band in sharp contrast with his black coat. Albus bent over, picking up a handful of snow and scattering it gently. Scorpius swallowed. Albus sure did have a nice arse.

"One minute," Madam Jinx announced. The Gryffindors all moved back a great distance.

"What are you looking at?" Maggie hissed under her breath as Albus stood up to follow his team.

"Absolutely nothing," Scorpius declared, turning to join his own house.

-CD-

As soon as the whistle blew Albus and Rose whipped their wands through the air, lifting several feet of snow so that they landed solidly. They continued to form their fortification as Lily, Hugo and Andrew began the attack, Hugo multiplying out snowballs as the rest of the house took them and fired, Lily and Andrew directing their paths. The Gryffindor keep was a long, almost three feet high U that extended a long way back, toward the Quidditch pitch.

While the Gryffindors remained well hidden at the start of the battle, the Slytherins had taken a more frightening approach. They came out from behind their massive, five-foot high wall in droves, pelting lines of small, but fierce snowballs out ahead of them in every direction. Meanwhile, the Ravenclaws attempted to skirt around behind the other houses' fortifications, slipping around them and throwing short shots at their backs. Ravenclaws took cheap shots that would normally be expected of Slytherins, Albus decided. The Hufflepuffs on the other hand, ever about fair play, shot blindly from behind their low wall, and came out in tight knit, but small groups.

From behind the fortification, Albus rose several boulder-like mounds of snow, behind which the Gryffindor offensive lurked. They darted from mound to mound, shooting snowballs at those who came towards them.

Across the expansive battle field, Albus caught sight of Scorpius, perched on the high Slytherin wall, serving as the director of motion for every snowball. Lurking from behind his own mound, Albus packed a snowball with his own hands and then charmed it into the air, he directed it carefully, keeping it high above the flying snow bullets. With a flick of his wand, Albus dropped the snowball on an unwitting Scorpius' head.

The resounding glower was phenomenal. Scorpius instantly zeroed in on Albus, even from so far away. The glower morphed into an almost evil smirk. Scorpius knew what that meant: it was war.

Albus heard the annoyed shriek of a girl getting pelted in the face. Originally, Rose had been worried that the Hogwarts staff wouldn't go for the idea of a school-wide snowball fight, in fear that someone would get an injury. Albus reminded her that they let them play a game in which flying, heavy, metal balls flew through the air and were smacked at people's heads. A little snowball fight would be no problem.

And now Albus had a specific target. With one last scheming look, Scorpius dropped back behind the Slytherin wall. Albus too disappeared, avoiding Hugo who was still multiplying the snowball supply rapidly.

"How do you think we're doing?" Hugo wondered, muttering spells under his breath still.

"I can't really say," Albus said. "It's the most fantastic form of mass chaos out there right now. It's glorious. It's very… January." Hugo grinned.

"Good to know," he said. "I think I like this job, though."

"Keep up the good work," Albus said. He peeked out in front of the wall. Scorpius was nowhere to be seen, but Rose and Andrew had made a dramatic break together, making snowballs as they ran toward the Hufflepuffs and shooting them rapidly with their wands.

Lily had practically buried herself in the snow outside of the Ravenclaw fortification. She was very hard to see, and she was firing a succession of snowballs at Lysander, hitting him with most of them. When he finally figured out it was her, a huge grin crossed his face and he sprinted toward her, dropped a huge snowball right on her head before pelting her with several more.

She scrambled away from him, dodging a multitude of snowballs that came flying at her from all directions. When she finally hopped behind the Gryffindor barrier, she had a grin on her face. She seized an armful of snowballs and began chucking them without her wand, her perfect Chaser aim never failing.

"I'd look out," Rose warned Albus, back from her hero journey with Albus.

"Malfoy is making his way over here," Andrew said. "He's putting up a good fight on the way too…."

Albus peered over the top of the barrier before loading his arms with snowballs and heaving himself over the top. Gryffindors, if nothing else, were brave, daring—though sometimes thoughtless in the process. Albus however, was never thoughtless, and yes, maybe his bravery only had the chance to manifest itself in a snowball game by this point in his life, but he made his move at that moment.

Scorpius looked up at the sound of a loud thud as Albus landed on the other side of the wall, darting toward him, Albus whipped his wand to fire five snowballs at once. Scorpius attempted to duck but one hit him in the head anyway. He rounded, waving his wand as he went, drawing snowballs out from behind the Slytherin wall. They formed a solid white rocket, heading directly for Albus who jumped out of the way just in time.

"It is on, Potter," Scorpius informed him, raising his wand again.

"Prepare to die, Malfoy," Albus returned, hoping his expression was more fierce than amused, as the two feelings battled inside of him.

The boys started a snow duel then, commanding the force of snowballs with nonverbal spells.

"Put your wand away," Albus dared him.

"I'll stow mine if you stow yours," Scorpius returned.

Albus, who would rather stand in the middle of that battlefield with a target on his back than trust a Slytherin in times of competition, snorted. "On the count of three then."

They both tucked their wands at the right time, and Albus sprung forward, heaving snowballs with all his might. Scorpius fought back, getting one solidly in Albus' face. As Albus blinked the snow from his eyes, he looked up to find Scorpius ready, his wand out again.

"No fair," Albus said, lunging at him. He knocked Scorpius flat on his back, pinning him into the snow. Laughing, Scorpius rolled them over, taking a position on top so that he was straddling Albus, in the middle of the massive, school wide snowball fight.

"All is fair in love and war," Scorpius said.

If any eyes had been on them at that moment, everything would have been quite clear. The look of adoration that Scorpius Malfoy bestowed upon Albus Potter at that moment went well beyond the realm of friendship. And the entire school, if it so chose, was there to see it.


	48. Someone Like You

_**A/N: My other favorite chapter in the fic thus far. Enjoy! **_

**Chapter 48: Someone Like You**

Scorpius took off running for the castle and no one was stopping him. The game had ended, but he felt so nauseous he wasn't sure he could stick around for the results. He could hear Albus' voice as he ran.

"In fourth place, Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff. The runner up is... Gryffindor. Slytherin wins!" Albus said, the shock ringing in his voice.

Scorpius made his way to the courtyard, trying to keep the frightened nausea from taking him over. As soon as he had said the words "All is fair in love and war" he had realized what he'd done, what he was doing. He had practically jumped away from Albus and gone back behind the Slytherin wall, shaking as he did so. The entire time he looked around, silently asking people "Did you see that? Did you see that?"

Maggie's look had been the most shocking. Her eyes clearly said to him, "Yeah, I saw it. Who the hell cares?"

So they hadn't been invisible. That was unfortunate.

Once in the courtyard, Scorpius collapsed on a snowy bench, leaning against the wall. He got out his wand and tried to dry himself off, warm himself up. He couldn't perform the spell properly, his voice was shaking so much, and he certainly didn't have the composure to do it nonverbally.

This was it. He had just outed himself, and Albus to the entirety of Hogwarts, in one stupid, thoughtless moment.

The sound of running footsteps, of someone out of breath, entered the courtyard. Scorpius looked up to see Albus catapulting toward him over the snow, red cheeked, his eyes gleaming with concern.

"Scorpius." He sounded relieved as he said it, dropping onto the bench next to Scorpius. "Oh Merlin, you're frozen. Here…" Albus did what Scorpius couldn't, silently casting the spells that would rid Scorpius of the damp chill that had taken him over.

"Everyone saw," Scorpius finally said when he was warm and dry again. "Everyone saw us, Albus. Everyone knows."

"Scorpius," Albus said. "Calm down. I don't think it's as bad as you think it is. Give the world a chance would you?"

"What sort of chance am I supposed to give it?" Scorpius demanded. "A chance to dig into us and rip our hearts out? To scoff at us and ridicule us and reject us, like my parents did me? I don't want to give it a chance, Albus. I don't want to let it ruin us."

"Scorpius. What if you're right? What if you're right and the entire school saw us then, and interpreted the whole situation correctly? No one said a thing. No one seemed to care. No one stared and pointed or whispered to their friends to look over at the two boys rolling around in the snow, practically on the verge of making out."

"Stop it," Scorpius groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Don't you see what they could do to us? So what if they haven't said anything yet? They're just going to whisper about it."

"What if everyone knows Scorpius? What if that did just out us? What are we going to do about it? We can't dwell on the fact that it happened. We have to move on. If there is, like you anticipate, some great social battle out in front of us, we can't sit around wishing we didn't have to fight it," Albus said, leaning back against the wall. Scorpius' body warred between wanting to take Albus' hand and wanting to get as far away from him as possible, so as to break any association that might give people ideas.

"Albus… it's… people are mean," Scorpius said. "Don't you see that?"

"Not everyone," Albus said. "Maggie. Rose. My parents. Lily, James, Andrew—who only knows about me, by the way…"

"Yeah well, they're a small margin," Scorpius said. "You can't speak for the rest of the world."

"Neither can you," Albus pointed out.

"I don't want to experiment to see who's right here," Scorpius informed him. "I can't believe that just happened…."

"I know you're upset but… I'm kind of… glad," Albus said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want to upset you, Scorpius, and I would never have thrown myself at you if I thought it would give people the wrong—well, I guess, really it's the _right _idea, about the two of us, I mean. I'm just… I wish we could be like that. I wish we could show everyone that we've got this amazing thing between us… I wish we could just be _ourselves _and not be constantly pretending there is nothing here… There is so much here, Scorpius."

Scorpius shook his head. "Albus. The world would cut someone like you in half. Chew you up and spit you out in a heartbeat."

Albus frowned at him. "Someone like me? What do you mean by that?"

"Someone so fucking positive," Scorpius said, clenching a tight fist in his own hair as he examined the snow-covered stone beneath his feet.

"Well…" Albus said. "Seeing as I'm not sure if I'm suppose to take that as a compliment or an insult… I'm just going to say this: the world seems to be getting along a lot more nicely with me than it is with you, Scorpius. But thanks for that vote of confidence."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius said, letting out a growl. He sat up, leaning against the wall behind the bench.

"Also," Albus said, "I'm not sure why you think you know more about the world than I do. I'm pretty sure you've lived only a month and six days longer than I have, but if you'd like to share how you've come upon this worldly knowledge, let me know."

Scorpius frowned. He didn't like the snappy tone Albus was taking on. Albus almost never had a snappy tone, and it meant that Scorpius was pushing Albus to his limits. He felt bad about that.

"Sorry," Scorpius said again. "I just… I'm still not ready for people to know, Albus. It will change everything."

"Do you think there is even the slightest chance that it could change everything for the good?" Albus wondered. "I mean sure, there goes that odd, dark, sketchy reputation you have as a playboy. Fine. That's not something to be proud of anyway. But the rest of your mysterious Slytherin Prince reputation is still there. If your Slytherin mates are half as decent as you make them out to be, they're not going to care if you fancy girls or blokes… you're still their leader. Besides… don't you think you could be happier? If you could let other people in on the secret, if you could show your happiness from time to time? Scorp, you bottle up all of your sadness, but you also bottle up your happiness. You lock it away. You never really let yourself feel it."

Scorpius kept his expression stoic as he looked at Albus. "You really think all of my Slytherin mates would be good with this? Would all of your Gryffindor mates me good with this?"

"I don't know," Albus said. "I would like to think so. I would like to think that in 2024, in the bloody Wizarding World, people don't care if you're gay or straight. Not really."

"Albus, that's what you would like to think. But that doesn't mean that's what things are actually like," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"How do people see Max Wylie?" Albus wondered. "When he goes to work, and whatever? And Albert? How do they see him? Does he face discrimination?"

"I don't know," Scorpius said.

"He's pretty open about who he is, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "He doesn't attempt to keep secrets."

"And he's a really happy, positive kind of guy, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So… what the hell is standing in our way from having just that, Scorpius? Even if Max faces some sort of horrible discrimination, he gets up and moves on and brushes it off. Because he's happy with who he is, he's comfortable with who he is and he lets himself live a good life, a life he loves," Albus declared.

Scorpius shook his head. "Well… don't you think there lies the problem?"

"How so?" Albus questioned.

"For one thing, I'm not happy with who I am and I'm not comfortable with who I am," Scorpius said.

Albus seemed to think for a moment. "Since when?"

"Since forever," Scorpius replied tartly.

"Oh," Albus said. Scorpius looked at him and was shocked to see the flashes of hurt that were starting to take over Albus' face. "Oh… so… whenever you kiss me… whenever I hold you or… or spend time with you… there's some part of you that thinks you're disgusting for what you're doing?"

"Disgusting is absolutely the wrong word for it," Scorpius said, his voice pleading for Albus to understand what he meant.

"There's some part of you that wishes, whenever you're with me, that I was a girl. That you wanted girls," Albus determined, not looking at Scorpius.

"No," Scorpius said, but even he couldn't hear the conviction behind that word, because it just wasn't there.

"Scorpius," Albus said. "There's the problem. There's your fucking problem."

"What?" Scorpius demanded, wishing Albus would just look at him.

"You try so hard to change yourself, but you'll never do it," Albus said. "But you can't accept defeat and you're clinging to this ideal in your head… and it's destroying you. It's killing you slowly. Because Scorpius, you'll never be straight. And you just need to man up and accept it, alright? It's never going to happen. Be happy with what you have?"  
"I am happy!" Scorpius said. "I'm trying so hard to be good with who I am, and when I'm with you, even though yeah, I didn't ask to be gay Albus-I'm not that fucked up—I am so desperately in love with you that it just proves to me that I can't… I am happy Albus. I'm happy with you. No matter what I think sometimes, no matter the could have beens."

"Wait…" Albus said. "What? What did you say? Go back."

"I'm happy with you?" Scorpius said.

"No, no, not that," Albus said. "Further back."  
"It proves to me that I can't?" Scorpius questioned.

"Further," Albus prompted.

"Oh," Scorpius said as it dawned on him. The words had just fallen out of his mouth. "I'm in love with you."

"You are?" Albus said softly, looking up at him.

"Yes, yes I am," Scorpius said. "No matter how fucked up my mind is, no matter what I wish, I know I can't get around that. It's proof to me that this is right, no matter how hard it is for me to accept in myself every day when I look in the mirror. Albus… I'm in love with you. I love you, Albus Severus Potter."

"I love you too," Albus said, throwing his arms around Scorpius, but only briefly in case someone walked by, of course. Scorpius smiled at him.

"Are we okay?" Scorpius wondered.

"I think so…" Albus said. "We'll just have to see what the rest of the school thinks… and I mean… there are some rough things we talked about… but I don't think we can take it anymore. Not right now."

"We'll have to come back to them at some point," Scorpius said morosely. "But I suppose we ought to go see if the whole school knows, just so we can figure out what to do."

"Good idea," Albus said. "But first…" He looked around the courtyard, craning his neck to peer in every direction. After a second, he leaned into plant a quick kiss on Scorpius' lips. "Now come on, before anyone sees us being cozy."

The two got up and left the courtyard. However, they had no idea that they were not alone. The entire time, a dark-haired figure had waited and listened patiently from behind one of the courtyard statues, taking in every word they spoke.

End Part II


	49. All on Principle

**Part III**

**Chapter 49: All On Principle**

In the midst of a snowball fight, it turns out, teenagers can be very unobservant. If anyone noticed the romantic moment between Scorpius and Albus, no one said a thing about it to either of them. There was no angry backlash, not even any confused questions. In short, despite Scorpius' qualms, no one seemed to care. In fact, if Albus thought about it, no one even seemed to notice.

-CD-

Albus contemplated the contents of his cauldron, chewing the inside of his cheek.

"What do you think?" Aria wondered, leaning over to look inside too.

"Write down one more clockwise stir," Albus instructed Scorpius, giving the potion a clockwise stir. "And it is… the anticipated blue color!"

Aria laughed, offering him a high five and then offering one to Scorpius who was still writing their procedure.

"So that was seven counterclockwise stirs, three clockwise," Scorpius said. "Right?"

"Yeah," Aria said. "Then we add three drops of salt water… right?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said, giving her a small smile. Albus frowned to himself, but focused on adding the drops of salt water, instead of dwelling on that fleeting smile. The potion turned a deeper, sapphire blue.

"Yay," Aria said. "Just what we wanted."

Scorpius grinned. "What's next?"

"We're doing a far sight better than the rest of the class," Aria whispered to the two of them, keeping her voice low. Of the other groups, only Rose's seemed to be doing decently. But she also wasn't letting other people near the cauldron. Her other group members looked on, obviously unsure what she wanted them to do, as she said nothing. Maggie's group was suffering her wrath. She was muttering at them under her breath, but the muttering kept escalating to near shouting so that Professor Pucey hovered around their table to keep everyone safe.

"It would seem…" Scorpius said, grinning.

Albus cleared his throat. "Now we need—"

He was cut off by the sounds of a cauldron exploding on the other side of the room. Pucey had been so busy watching Maggie's group that he hadn't paid any attention to a struggling trio on the other side of Albus and Scorpius' table.

"Well I'm sorry, but this is what you get when you set a bunch of amateur potioners loose with whatever ingredients they see fit. Plus their wands. Wave your wand too much and boom we have a crisis," Scorpius said, waving at his robes to extinguish a fire that had been started by a rogue droplet of potion flying across the room.

Aria laughed, moving on to the next of their potion ingredients.

Maybe Albus was being too harsh on her. He didn't want to like her, simply because he thought she liked Scorpius too much—and because he thought that Scorpius was going to pretend that he liked her too much, but whatever. She had many good qualities. She was smart, reasonable, and she didn't try to skive off her fair share of the work—granted she _was _a Ravenclaw, but still. She knew what she was doing and she liked to have fun doing it just the same. She could make a joke like the rest of them and her competitiveness sat well with Albus. He liked being competitive—especially when it looked like his team was going to win.

What Albus didn't like was romantic competition. He didn't want to have to fight for the person he loved. He would do it, but he thought that was more petty and dramatic than things needed to be. He didn't want to have to battle it out with Aria Zane over Scorpius. For one thing, it would be mighty difficult to fight for Scorpius while flying completely under what Lily called the "gaydar" of the school. It would be hard to win that way.

Then again, was it really a competition? Seeing as he was fighting against a girl and Scorpius didn't actually like girls… maybe not.

Albus stirred the potion in the correct direction, counting under his breath so he got the right number of stirs.

He was probably just overreacting and overanalyzing everything as usual.

Aria walked around Albus to lean over Scorpius' shoulder, apparently trying to read what exactly Scorpius was writing. Her long dark hair draped over Scorpius' shoulders and he looked up at her, a slight grin on his face. Albus bit his tongue a little, focusing on his stirs.

It wasn't her fault that she grated on him. She didn't know that Albus and Scorpius were together, and so she believed Scorpius wasn't with anyone at all. She made her little moves, thinking she was unhindered, thinking she wasn't flirting with someone who was already taken.

Still. It didn't make much of a difference. Albus still didn't really like her on his own principles.

-CD-

A slight chill drifted through the corridors. The flames in the torches that lit the halls flickered lazily. If they hadn't been charmed to never go out, the wind would've gotten them. Scorpius sat on a stone bench built into the wall, the portrait of a monk who had long since given up trying to lecture Scorpius on the glory of a Muggle God. Scorpius sat in the place many times and the monk had tried to convert him a million times over until he just stopped trying last year.

Scorpius had the book Albus had given him about King Tut's tomb open on his lap. He already had read it once, but he was going back through now, really taking it in. It was so interesting. Albus knew Scorpius well, to give him something like this.

At the moment, Albus was off doing some Head Boy duty of his. If he wasn't, Scorpius figured the two of them would be together.

"Hey, Potions buddy," Aria Zane said, appearing around the corner.

"Hi," Scorpius said, looking up at her, he made room on his bench so that she could sit down. She pulled her robes more tightly around herself.

"Aren't you cold?" she wondered.

"You would think so, but not quite," Scorpius said, pulling a big blue flame in a jar out from behind him.

She laughed. "I guess that makes sense." She smiled at him, a bright smile—and if Scorpius wasn't mistaken, it was a flirty smile too.

"What brings you here?" he asked coyly, offering her his own debonair, mysterious smile—a favorite back pocket tool of the Slytherin Prince.

"Just a nice stroll," she said. "I had to go to the library."

"Ravenclaws," he said, shaking his head. "Always in the library."

She shrugged. "My marks are proof that it works, at least."

"I don't bury myself in books, but I'd wager my marks are just as good as yours," he said, smirking at her.

"But that's simply because you're naturally brainy," she said. "I work for my smarts."

"If that were true you would be in Hufflepuff," Scorpius scoffed. "You have to be naturally brilliant to be a Ravenclaw."

"And what about Slytherins?" she wondered. "What do you have to be—naturally?"

"Cunning," he replied. "And Gryffindors are naturally daring—gutsy, sometimes. And Hufflepuffs are naturally… _nice."_

"You say nice like it's a bad thing," she accused.

"I say nice that way because I'm _not _nice," he informed her.

Aria pursed her lips for a moment. "I beg to differ. You seem fairly nice to me. I think there's a bit more to you than this stupid air you insist on putting off—the dark and mysterious, almost sinister air. I don't think that's all you are. You've got some secrets, Scorpius Malfoy."

"Do I really?" he wondered.

She leaned in closer to him, so much so that her breath was warm when it glanced across his cheek, her hair tickling his shoulder. "Of course. Everyone has secrets. You seem fairly nice to me. I think there's a bit more to you than this stupid air you insist on putting off—the dark and mysterious, almost sinister air. I don't think that's all you are. You've got some secrets, Scorpius Malfoy."

"Do I really?" he wondered.

She leaned in closer to him, so much so that her breath was warm when it glanced across his cheek, her hair tickling his shoulder. "Of course. Everyone has secrets. You think you can hide behind this mask, but I see right through it."

He shuddered. She was so close now. It seemed as if Scorpius had quite underestimated her when he made her his target, the next girl he was going to ensnare, just to put up a show. She was more than willing to go along with it, thus everything was advancing more quickly than he had anticipated. He had hoped for a drawn out pursuit, where he could make his intentions obvious and she would simply turn him down time and time again, just because of his reputation and who he was. It seemed Aria was less of a goody-goody than he had thought…

She pulled back after a moment, smirking at him now. "What are you reading, Malfoy?"

"A book on the magical barriers and curses protecting King Tut's tomb. The author was Howard Carter's magical assistant," Scorpius explained, holding the book up.

"Curse-breaking stuff, of course," Aria said, smiling at him. "You really love that stuff, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, internally objecting to the word "stuff." It made it seem so trivial and to him cruse-breaking was anything but trivial.

"Doing something you love is good," she said. "I think if people knew you were so devoted to something, they would see you as more human."

"Maybe I don't want them to see me as more human," Scorpius said, sticking his book into his bag. "Maybe I like how they see me now."

"People know nothing about you now," Aria said. "Most of them don't even know you're nice."

"That's because you're the only person who's ever thought I'm nice," Scorpius said.

"What about Albus?" she wondered.

"What do you mean?" he demanded quickly flinching. It seemed like such a loaded question.

"He's your best friend. And Maggie. Don't they think you're nice? You would think they would, if they like you enough to be friends with you," Aria said.

He shrugged. "Maybe. But I wouldn't say it's my outstanding quality."

"I guess that's your opinion." She shrugged too. Then she leaned in again, causing Scorpius' heart rate to skyrocket—not because he was turned on by her, but because he worried that she was going to take things much farther than he was comfortable with them going.

"It is," he said.

She smiled at him, a coy, beautiful smile, looking up through her eyelashes at him. He swallowed, but he couldn't budge the large lump that had manifested itself in his throat.

With that smile, she slid her hand up his shoulder, behind his neck and she pulled him to her, kissing him fiercely, passionately on the lips. Scorpius found himself flailing, completely unsure what to do. His mind flicked instantly to the one and only Albus Potter, whom he loved so desperately.

He pushed Aria away, a hand on her shoulder sending her to the other end of the bench as he scrambled away from her.

"I can't, Aria," he said.

"Why not?" she demanded, chewing her lips carefully. It was then that Scorpius noticed it: in her eyes, she had the most conniving glint, as if she knew something and this was all part of her plan. "You certainly flirted with me. Made me think you wanted it, Mr. Malfoy."

"I just can't," he said.

She smirked at him. "Because?"

"Because, because," he said, waving a hand at her. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I know I shouldn't have," she said, standing up to look at him. She seemed to be waiting patiently for an explanation, even though, when Scorpius looked at her, he was certain she knew absolutely everything.


	50. Asexual Ravenclaws

_**A/N: So this looks like it's going to be about 70 or so chapters. I just wrote a lot of really exciting chapters - just so you know they're on their way! Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 50: Asexual Ravenclaws**

Albus Potter was a leading man. He was well-liked, smart, athletic, attractive. Girls liked him enough. He had a good amount of friends. His witty sidekick came in the form of Rose. He had the wise older brother and the flirty little sister. Albus Potter was _loveable. _

Unfortunately, he was gay. Leading men were very rarely homosexuals.

More unfortunately, he was probably the most instinctively jealous person to roam the halls of Hogwarts. Jealousy was a great vice, a black mark on a spotless record. Jealousy was not a trait of a leading man.

At that precise moment, he found himself seriously contemplating blasting a large, black hole through the Marauder's Map. His fist even tightened on his wand. He even raised it so that it was level with the pair of labeled dots.

But it would be a shame to destroy such a fantastic work of magic.

Those dots, however, were far too close together. One of them, the one labeled _Aria Zane _was practically overlapping the one labeled _Scorpius Malfoy. _In all honesty, Albus knew that should not bother him. Scorpius was gay, just as Albus was. Scorpius didn't like Aria, so whatever they were doing—which was probably nothing—couldn't really count as cheating anyway, because Scorpius didn't go that way.

Albus scoffed as his mind tried to justify things like that. How absurd! It counted. It all counted. If Scorpius was doing _anything—_which Albus couldn't be sure he was, despite the dot placement—it was rotten and unfaithful and just plain dramatic in Albus' eyes.

In the end, he and Scorpius were together. In the end, that was all that mattered to Albus. He didn't care about Scorpius' insane issues with telling people, or the dramatic mindset Scorpius got himself in where the whole world would hate him if they found out he wasn't some enigmatic womanizer that lurked in the Slytherin dungeons. Albus didn't care about any of that bullshit. What he cared about was the fact that Scorpius was _his _boyfriend—and Aria Zane needed to know it.

Albus just couldn't tell her. Furious as he was, he couldn't betray Scorpius in that way. In the end, it had to be Scorpius to tell her to back off. It had to be Scorpius who pushed her away and said, "no, thanks." Albus wouldn't do that for him, but worst of all, he knew Scorpius wouldn't do it for himself, either. He liked the pretense and the show. If he wanted people to think he was snogging Aria Zane, Scorpius would probably go ahead and snog Aria Zane. Staying hidden, locking his true self away, was more important to Scorpius than anything else.

Albus had no shame—another leading man quality, perhaps. He didn't for a moment regret who he was, wish he was someone else. Once upon a time, he might have. But that was back at the beginning. Now he was used to it. He even liked himself. He got good marks, he had a lot of awesome friends and family. So what if he was gay? If that was his worst quality, then he decided he was doing okay.

That was what made it hard. Albus couldn't understand the shame that Scorpius felt, because he himself was not familiar with it. Albus couldn't grasp the worrying or the fear. Albus felt he had no reason to fear anyone. He felt Scorpius had no reason to fear anyone. But Scorpius did not see it that way.

They grew up in different worlds, maybe. Albus, on the one hand, lived in the shadow of a famous father, so much to live up to. But then again, his parents never made him feel that way. They were pleased with the Albus they had, they never wanted anything different. They wanted him the way he was, which is why he had always known that they would accept him for who he was, when he told them—and they had.

Scorpius had a different upbringing. His family had a dark light, the shadow of the War lingering on all of them. In society's eyes, Malfoys were to be looked at carefully. Scorpius grew up on propriety and expectations of greatness and perfection. Scorpius saw himself as less than perfect in the Malfoy eyes. The Malfoys saw him as less than perfect as well.

Watching Scorpius' dot move away from Aria's, Albus tried to calm himself down. Maybe he didn't understand it, but he had to try. He had to try or this was never going to work between the two of them. Did he have any right to be jealous of a girl that Scorpius could never love? He wasn't sure.

-CD-

"What?" Scorpius demanded. "What's the fucking look for, Zane? You can't do that."

"And why can't I?" Aria asked again, smiling at him. "Just admit it, wouldn't you Malfoy?"

"Admit what?" Scorpius yelped, looking down at her in horror.

"Look…" she said. "During the snowball fight… ringing any bells? I saw you."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you and Potter. Practically making out on the snow," Aria said, twisting a curl idly on her finger. "I mean… I've thought it all along—ever since we started this project. And then I overheard you two in the courtyard. Naturally, after that little scene in the middle of the snowball fight, I of course had to snoop and investigate more."

Scorpius muttered something under his breath that sounded something like "Ravenclaws."

"So you're gay. And you're in love with Albus," she declared.

Scorpius blanched and started mumbling incoherently, random protest words falling out of his mouth. He didn't know what to say, what to argue.

"Don't try to tell me I'm wrong," Aria said, waving her hand at him to shut him up. "Merlin. It's okay. I think it's adorable, honestly. You two are a fantastic couple, in my opinion. I just have one question."

"And what would that be?" Scorpius said coolly.

"Why haven't you told people? Why haven't you told everyone? No one would care," she said. "Honestly, it would clear up a lot. I think people would think it was nice, not wrong. People would be happy for both of you."

"So you say," Scorpius said. "Unfortunately, that's not quite the case. My parents for instance."

"Your parents?" Aria questioned.

"Basically kicked me out when they found out. They say I'm still welcome, but my father can't stomach the sight of me, I'm sure," Scorpius said. "I've never seen him so furious. If he reacts like that, I think there are a lot of other people in the world that would feel the same way."

She frowned at him. "Well that's horrible, Scorpius. I'm sorry."

"I'd really like to not talk about it," Scorpius. "If we could. It's sort of a touchy subject, you know?"

"Yeah," she said. "Sorry… Well… I have another question."  
"You bloody Ravenclaws, always digging in deeper. Nosier than is good for you," Scorpius said.

"Do you mind if I ask the question?" she asked, ignoring him.

"Go ahead," Scorpius allowed, waving at her.

"Why do you put out this air that you're such a womanizer?" she wondered. "Obviously, you're not. But why do you pretend to sleep with all of these girls and whatnot?"

"Well up until I was in a relationship with Albus, I actually did sleep with some of them. It's an act," Scorpius said. "I'm not ready for people to know. I've had a reputation since third year and I'm intending to keep it up."

"So that's why you did all this? Flirting with me?" she questioned.

"Of course it is," he said, collapsing against the wall. "I like to keep up my pretenses. People expect a dark and mysterious womanizer, not a gay boy. I can't give them any reason to doubt me."

"Wonderful," she said. "So… if I was less astute than I am—more like your average interest, I suppose—what would you have done? How far would you let this go?"

"I would just toy with you," Scorpius said. "Flirt. Obviously flirt. Lead you on. But because I'm with Albus, I wouldn't do any more than that. I wouldn't have touched you or tried to kiss you or anything like that."

"Say you weren't with Albus?" Aria prompted.

"Well that's a completely different situation," Scorpius said. "You've heard the stories."

"How charming," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "I must say, I love knowing I was part of your little scheming lie of an act." She glared at him. "You shouldn't do that."

"Save the lecture, would you? I'm a fucking Slytherin. It's in my nature," he declared.

"Oh sweet Merlin," she said, crossing her arms. "You're almost pathetic."

"You don't understand," Scorpius said. "You don't understand what it's like to have you parents hate you for being who you are. I need to at least keep people in school from turning that way too. Better they hate me for being a prick than being gay."

"I don't understand your logic at all," Aria informed him. "But I suppose that's why you told me I don't understand. Maybe your parents don't hate you. Maybe they just are… overwhelmed."  
"I _really _don't want to talk about it," Scorpius said. "I just want to keep up my pretenses, enjoy my time with Albus on the sly and make sure people don't doubt me."  
"You're an amazing actor, I'll give you that," she said. "Scorpius…"

"What?"

"Do you want help with this?" she wondered.

"Help with what?"

"Keeping up pretenses," she said. "I'll play along. If you want. I don't want you to jeopardize your relationship with Albus but… I'll play along so the rest of the school sees all of this…"  
"Really?" he said. "That would be wonderful. It would be perfect. I wouldn't have to lead anyone on, but it would make it look… Yes, that works for me. I won't even tell Albus, so he really can't get mad about it…. This is perfect, Aria."

"Ravenclaw," she said, pointing to herself with a smirk. "We're bloody brilliant."

"Are you sure you would be willing to do that?" he said. "Just play along with my flirting game? Make it look like you and I have some sort of secret love affair or something…?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'm not too worried about it. No one at Hogwarts is really interesting to me. I'm pretty sure I've got to be asexual or something."

"Asexual?" Scorpius questioned.

"Long story," Aria said, waving him off. "Are you sure you shouldn't tell Albus? Just so he knows?"

"I think it might be better if I don't," Scorpius said. "He wishes I would just tell everyone. I can't do that. But I don't want to unearth that argument, honestly. It will be fine. He knows this is what I do. What I have to do."

"Right," Aria said. "Well I don't want him mad at me for trying to take you or something."

"Nah," Scorpius said. "It'll be okay. He knows I love him. And he knows I'm gay too, that helps. He knows there's no chance of you winning me over."

Scorpius couldn't help but smile as he said that. He did love Albus. He loved him so much. Albus was the only one who could keep him from drowning when darkness fell on him.


	51. MalfoyFlavored Eye Candy

**Chapter 51: Malfoy-Flavored Eye Candy**

"Wasn't it just a few months ago, when we were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, and you looked down at me and complained that you were becoming my therapist?" Rose asked from the chair beside Albus' bed. From where Albus was, she was upside down. He was sprawled at an odd angle across his mattress, head hanging off the side of the bed. He looked at his upside down cousin with a sheepish look. It was probably a very red sheepish look as well, as all the blood seemed to have settled right behind his eyeballs.

"Yes it was," Albus said, swinging himself up so that his head was at least level with the rest of his body.

"Amazing how we've switched roles," Rose said thoughtfully, putting the tips of her well-manicured fingers together and gazing at him over the tops of them.

"I've been your therapist about a thousand and one more times than you've been mine," Albus retorted, rubbing his face with his hands in exasperation.

"I know, I know," she said. "Which doesn't make sense. You have way more issues than I ever could."

"I'm just better at dealing with them," he said, draping his arm dramatically over his eyes.

"Clearly," she said. "So. Scorpius likes to keep up some great playboy act where he flirts with girls to make people think he's some sort of evil womanizer."

"Yeah," Albus confirmed.

"I can see why this bothers you…" Rose said.

"Can you?" Albus said. "It might have something to do with the fact that Aria Zane wants to fuck him."  
"Oh dear Merlin, give me strength," Rose mumbled to no one in particular. "So what? I think there are probably a lot of people out there who want to _fuck _Scorpius. He's an attractive male specimen."

Albus sat up and rounded on her, his eyes wide.

"Calm yourself, Potter, I have a boyfriend" she said, rolling her eyes. "There are also a lot of people out there that want to fuck you or Lily or anyone who is good-looking. The point is not that Scorpius is eye-candy, okay? The point is that he won't actually sleep with her. Do you know why he won't sleep with her?" When Albus said nothing, Rose gave him a reproachful look. "Because he's with you, you prat! Merlin knows why…."

"I still don't like it," Albus huffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, you don't have to like it," Rose said. "But Scorpius is your boyfriend, and you either need to support him or talk to him about it. Huffing around in this dramatic state is not going to help either of you—nor is it going to help your relationship. It's just going to make a mess of things, Albus. And then you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

"And that blasted slag, Aria Zane," he grumbled.

"_Albus!_"

-CD-

"Are you trying to kill me?" Albus demanded.

"No?" Lily offered, buttoning her blouse up.

Lysander attempted to sidle away unnoticed. Albus had his wand on him in an instant.

"Not so fast, Scamander," he warned, waving his wand threateningly. Lysander looked like he wanted to melt into the stack of books behind him.

It wasn't enough that Albus was stressed beyond belief. He had N.E.W.T.s coming up. He had just applied to the Auror Program. Aria Zane was getting too friendly with Scorpius. But hey, whatever! The world chose to add this to his list.

While Lily and Lysander had not actually been _doing it _when Albus stumbled across them in a deserted part of the Restricted Section, it seemed to him that they had not been far away from. For one thing, Lysander had her pinned underneath him on an empty table—no books around, they obviously hadn't even come to pretend they wanted to study together. For another, he had her shirt unbuttoned, and her skirt was practically hiked up. Whether the skirt was Lysander's doing or mainly the result of the position Lily had herself in—legs hooked around Lysander's waist—Albus wasn't sure that he wanted to know. The Ravenclaw's tie was thrown on one of the shelves and his shirt was unbuttoned most of the way.

"Yes. You're trying to kill me," Albus declared, putting a hand on his forehead. He turned away from Lily, to his old friend and classmate. "Lysander. She's fifteen. What the fuck do you think you're doing? She's fifteen. Fifteen. Do you want James and me to murder you? Because we will. And both of you!" He glanced at Lily again. "Are you stupid? This is the library, for Merlin's sake. At least have the decency and the brains to sneak off to a deserted classroom or the Room of Requirement or one of your _dorms _perhaps!"

"Albus," Lily started, interrupting him.

"Oh, no, no," Albus said, waving a finger at her. He kept his wand trained on Lysander, still not sure whether there was going to be a nasty hex or not. "I'm talking right now Lily."

"Albus, mate," Lysander said. "I… really like your sister."  
"That's great," Albus said. "I'm glad you like her. But you're not sleeping with her until you're in love—better yet, until you're married. You've been together about a month now, so… this is unacceptable. Now get out of here Lysander, before I hex you. And take your bloody tie with you."

Lily started to follow Lysander out, but Albus grabbed her shoulder.

"Not so fast," he said. "You and I need to talk for a moment, Lily."

She sighed, but sat down at the table, looking up at him. Albus leaned back against the narrow window sill, looking down at her.

"Lils…" he said. "What are you doing?"

"I really like him," she said.

"Lily, really liking someone is not a good reason to have sex," Albus said.

"Come on," she said. "Don't you think James and Maggie are? Rose and Andrew? You and Scorpius?"

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Lily. First of all, I don't think James and Maggie are. Second of all, Rose and Andrew _aren't. _And before I address that last one, might I ask, did you and Andrew ever…?"

"No!" she said. "Merlin no."

"Then why should the rest of us? And what makes it right to do it with Lysander?" Albus demanded.

"You never got to the third one," she said, avoiding his question.

"Scorpius and I aren't sleeping together," Albus said, blushing. "Lily, we barely felt we could admit that we loved each other… it just all seems too fast."  
"You love him?" Lily questioned.

Albus nodded. "I do. But… that doesn't mean we're just going to go sleep together all the time now, Lils. Things are different. They're more difficult than that. Relationships are difficult."

"I've had more relationships that you," Lily said. "I know that."

"I know you do," Albus said. "But whether you really like Lysander or not, you're fifteen. I don't think you honestly know whether it's right for you to sleep with him. First of all, you're fifteen. It shouldn't be right, Lils."

"I wasn't going to sleep with him," Lily said. "He knows that, too. He didn't want to. We were just messing around."

"Lily… that position," Albus said.

"We would stop before it got too far," she insisted. "Albus, I promise. I'm a virgin, okay? At least until I'm sixteen."

"Seventeen," Albus overrode her.

"Seventeen," she vowed. "At least. And Lysander knows that, okay?"

"He might know that, but that doesn't mean he likes it," Albus said. "I might be gay, but I'm pretty sure the same thing is on every seventeen and eighteen-year-old bloke's mind."

"If he ends up loving me, he'll understand," Lily said. "If he doesn't, then that's okay too. I'll find someone else."  
"Someone your own age?" Albus questioned hopefully.

"I can't make you any promises," she said, shrugging. "Fifteen-year-old boys are so immature. And if you think seventeen-year-olds are perpetually horny…"

"Oh, I know," Albus said. "I was fifteen once too."  
"Are you going to tell James about this?" she wondered.

Albus sighed. "I don't know. We probably don't want to bring his wrath down on Lysander."

"Thanks," Lily said, smiling a little.

"I promise you, though, if I found out you've slept with Lysander, I will bring James into it. And we will castrate him."

"Albus!" Lily said.

"And we wouldn't feel bad about it either," Albus said thoughtfully. "Too bad it wasn't when he was younger. He could've had a lovely singing voice…"  
"_Albus!" _Lily snapped, appalled.

"I'm just saying," Albus said, grinning at her. "Relax, Lily."

"I'm trying," she said.

"Also… find a different spot, rather than the library, would you?" he demanded. "I can barely handle running into the two of you here all the time. Besides. I like to snog Scorpius here, and it won't be as pleasant if I can only think of my little sister here with her boyfriend."

Lily grinned. "Fine, I guess. This table was awfully uncomfortable anyway. I don't recommend it."

Albus shuddered a little, mentally cringing.

-CD-

Albus could feel the spines of the books under his fingertips as his hand steadied him. The hand was pressed against the stacks, a breath away from Scorpius' ear. The old fabric and leather was smooth under the tips of Albus' fingers. Scorpius' tongue flicked gently against Albus' neck, mixed with the light nips of his teeth on Albus' skin. Albus couldn't even focus anymore. In an unintentional moment of selfishness, his head lolled back, no longer tending to Scorpius' neck as he had been.

There wasn't room for a sheet of parchment between them. They were so tightly pressed against each other that Albus couldn't tell where he ended and Scorpius began. Lower down, the urging tents of their slacks pressed against each other, a delightful pressure both of them attempted to ignore for the sake of not taking things too quickly.

"You like this?" Scorpius whispered, nipping carefully by Albus' ear. Albus felt goosebumps rise on his hot skin.

"Yes…" he moaned in reply. He could feel his cock straining against the slacks, begging for more pressure. Only Scorpius' arms were keeping Albus upright now. For once, he wasn't in his established dominant position. He couldn't even hold himself up, Scorpius had so much power over him.

"I love you," Scorpius breathed, the tickle of hot breath creeping around Albus's ear.

"I love you," Albus whimpered in reply. His heart was hammering so loudly, he could hear it in his ears, feel it in every artery of his body. So many hormones had taken over his system, and they were pleading for him to give in to his cravings.

"I want you," Scorpius informed him, a tempting, almost taunting tone to his voice. Albus couldn't even form words in a reply, so Scorpius kept crooning. "You want me too, Al. I know…" At that, Scorpius pressed his hand into the small of Albus' back, drawing them more tightly together, if that was even humanly possible. Albus bit his tongue and tried to maintain control of his brain, to keep himself from seizing Scorpius by the shoulders then and there and pulling him down to the floor, fucking him into the cold stone beneath them…

He was getting urges like this more and more lately. He was spending more time with his hand in the bath in the mornings. Scorpius had him under what was perhaps the most effective mind control since the Imperius Curse.

Albus flung his head forward so that it was resting on Scorpius shoulder. Scorpius simply slid his arms carefully around Albus, a caressing hug.

"I really do love you Al," Scorpius said, giving him one more gentle kiss on the cheek. It was as if he understood that they needed to calm down now, before things got out of hand. Or maybe Scorpius himself needed the relaxation, just as much as Albus did.

"I know," Albus said. "I love you too, I really, bloody love you."

"I know," Scorpius said. "I won't forget it."

"Good," Albus said. "You better not."


	52. Don't Ever Leave Me

**Chapter 52: Don't Ever Leave Me**

"Happy Valentine's Day." The whisper flitted into Scorpius' ear as a certain Gryffindor passed by him, headed for breakfast. He sent a light smile at Albus, who settled next to Rose. The Weasley cousin was locked in a passionate embrace with Andrew Wood. Scorpius laughed at the disgusted look on Albus' face.

Across the table, Maggie was reading a letter that was several pieces of paper long, and when Scorpius looked more closely, he recognized James' handwriting. He wondered if all Potter boys were romantic. It seemed James had mastered the art of words. Between what looked like joyous tears and little sniffles, Maggie looked about ready to swoon—all while sitting happily on Cloud 9.

"How's James?" Scorpius asked politely when she finished the letter, hand over her heart like a flirty, affected schoolgirl.

"He's wonderful," Maggie said, patting her heart. She wiped a little tear from the corner of her eye.

"You've been dating since the first of January," Scorpius said. "And yet, you're dying of romance…."

"He's… Something about this feels so right," Maggie said. "Like I found where I'm meant to be—and it's with him. No matter what I do with my life, if I'm with him I will be okay…. And then he sends me this letter…"

"I know how you feel about him," Scorpius said, chancing a glance at the Gryffindor table. Lily was there now, with her Ravenclaw boyfriend invading the scene. Lysander Scamander did not seem to be too eager to snog her, which was very atypical of them as a pair. Of course, Scorpius was sure Lysander wanted to kiss her—he was just being romantic first. Valentine's Day presents and whatnot. Albus glanced over at Scorpius, feeling his gaze from afar. They shared a fleeting smile.

Because they both had birthdays so recently, they instead made the decision to spend the entire evening together, in their secret ways, just relaxing. They weren't going to think about schoolwork, or the outside world or the people around them. They were simply going to relish each other's presence, talk, snog a little, everything. Maybe they would just sit in silence for a while—Scorpius didn't know. Silence with Albus was the best kind of silence.

"I know you do," Maggie said. "And of course, Saturday is Hogsmeade. James is coming up."

"Of course," Scorpius said. "Have you told him you love him?"

Maggie looked down at the letter. "You know, you would think, with all of this…" she waved the pages in the air. "You would think we would have said it by now. I mean, it's embedded in every word he says here, every drop of ink. Of course it is. But no, we haven't said it. Not out loud or face to face. We thought it was too soon. Or at least we agreed it was too soon, without saying it."

"Everyone is falling into place," Scorpius commented. "You and James. Rose and Andrew. Me."

Maggie raised an eyebrow, leaning in to whisper to him. "You and who."  
"Shut up, Maggie. Not here," he said.

"I have something to say," she informed him.

"And what would that be?"

"It's Valentine's Day,"

He looked at her for a moment, trying to comprehend her lunacy. But he did get it, maybe. He thought he might understand. It was Valentine's Day, and Scorpius was too chicken to go over, and in front of every, give the boy he loved a kiss, or even just wish him a good day. Scorpius was so wrapped up in secrets that he couldn't even relish the allowable disgusting public displays of affection. He couldn't even be free on the first Valentine's Day he had ever shared with someone he genuinely cared about.

-CD-

The Room of Requirement, a most glorious place, was the destination of Albus and Scorpius after their final class of the day, Transfiguration. As a pair, they slipped into the room unnoticed, finding it equipped with comfy chairs, couches, a bed, pillows, all settled on thick, plush rugs.

Albus flopped down on a couch and Scorpius settled next to him, leaning into him. They stretched out, Albus wrapping an arm around Scorpius. Scorpius breathed in Albus' clean sent, the soft smell of his button-down uniform shirt.

"I feel like it's been so long since we've had a moment of just… peace," Albus said, taking a deep breath. Scorpius could hear it, feel it.

"I know," he said, reaching to twist his fingers into Albus'. "I'm glad we have this moment. I need a moment like this."

"I love you," Albus said. "I'm glad that I can say that—it is Valentine's Day, after all, I should be able to say it."

"I love you too," Scorpius said, nestling more deeply into Albus' side. "I could just sleep, right now. Isn't that sad? Our first prolonged moment alone together in quite a long time, and yet I am thinking about sleeping. But you're very comfortable. You make me comfortable. And content."

Albus didn't say anything. He just held Scorpius close to him.

"Are you okay?" Scorpius asked after a second, tilting his head in an attempt to see Albus' face.

"Yeah," Albus said. "I just… I care so much about you, it's almost painful to me. Never thought I would be so… completely lost in someone else. Every moment, I'm thinking of you. I want to be near you all the time. You're everything to me, all at once. And it's crazy. I know it is. Maybe I'm just… letting myself get carried away. But I like being carried away."

It was Scorpius' turn to not say anything. He rested his head on Albus' chest and closed his eyes.

"And I think about it…how many people… how many people enter a relationship for the first time and then it lasts forever? How many people only date one person in their whole life? Not very many. None, practically. Sitting here, right now, though, I can't see that not happening for us. It's like someone stabs me in the chest, if I think about there being the slightest possibility of me not being able to be with you…"

Scorpius flinched at the thought. It hurt him too. It was perhap the _worst_ possible feeling in the world. At that moment, he had no intention of ever being with any other person ever again. Maybe that was incredibly foolish of him, for a relationship so young as this one… but that was how he saw it at the moment.

He kept his eyes closed, burying his face into Albus' shirt. He took a deep, shaky breath.

"Are you okay, now?" Albus wondered.

Scorpius nodded, moving awkwardly around so that he was practically on top of Albus, arms around him. Albus wrapped him up and Scorpius pressed his face into Albus' neck.

"Don't leave me," Scorpius said to him, a light whisper, almost choked. He hated how weak he sounded.

"I won't," Albus said. "I have no intention of that. But you don't leave me, either, okay?"

"Never," Scorpius said. "I'm sorry I'm so messed up, Albus. I'm sorry."

"You're allowed to be messed up," Albus said, rubbing his back. "It's perfectly acceptable."

"There's this dark cloud and for some reason it won't leave me alone," Scorpius said. "When darkness falls on me, I just… I can't take it. I'm so afraid of it…"

"I'm here for you," Albus said. "Whenever it falls, Scorpius. Just tell me. I'm there in an instant. Whenever you need me. You don't have worry."

"Sometimes I worry though," Scorpius said. "I worry that you can't even help me…"  
"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Albus suggested, patting him gently in between his shoulder blades.

"I'm probably squishing you," Scorpius said, sighing and leaning away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Albus wondered, grabbing Scorpius by the shoulder.

"I don't want to squish you," Scorpius said.

"You're not squishing me," Albus said. "Either way, though, let's go over to the bed, More room. And I'm tired."  
"No falling asleep on me," Scorpius said.

"I would never," Albus vowed, hopping up and grabbing Scorpius' hand, towing him over to the bed. They climbed up on it, and Scorpius flopped on his stomach, resting his head on his hands.

"Do you want me to rub your back?" Albus wondered, a smirk in his voice.

Scorpius glanced up at him, wondering if he was supposed to notice how much Albus was checking out his arse.

"If you want," Scorpius said.

"Well, I figure sometimes you ought to relax a little bit, Scorpius," Albus said, shrugging. He leaned down and kissed Scorpius on the back of the neck. He moved so that he was straddling Scorpius's legs, and Scorpius pressed his face into the thick black comforter on the bed, trying to hide the blush that was seeping into his cheeks. He was suddenly finding himself incredibly horny.

Albus gently began to massage Scorpius' back, working slowly and soothingly, like some sort of expert. It felt good, Scorpius couldn't deny it. And it was relaxing, something Scorpius certainly needed.

"Did you know," Albus said, working his hands around Scorpius' shoulders, "that you were one of the reasons I figured out I was gay?"

"Huh?" Scorpius questioned, turning his head to look up at Albus.

"Yep," Albus said. "You know… I would see people, guys and girls alike, and I started realizing that the girls… they weren't so attractive to me—I mean, girls are pretty, sure, but not… attractive to me—and guys, they were. And by guys, I mean, you, Lorcan and Lysander… er… Jason Rettler and Henry Potts. Do you remember those two?"

"Yeah, I do," Scorpius said. "Very attractive."

"But then I sort of… well…I could find you attractive but I didn't actually like you." Albus laughed a little. "How far we have come."

"Oh I know," Scorpius said. "A Potter and a Malfoy…"

"It's unfathomable," Albus said, kissing his cheek.

"I know," Scorpius said. "Somewhere, old dead guys are rolling in their graves, fretting over this relationship."

"They'll be okay," Albus said. "As much as old dead guys can be okay. This is the twenty-first century after all. Potters and Malfoys can get along. They can even snog."

"It's not like my ancestors actually knew anything, anyway. They were all arses," Scorpius said, chuckling.

"Speaking of arses," Albus said, moving his hands shockingly low in his massage. Scorpius stiffened in shock.

"Watch it Potter. You're getting forward," he teased.

"Oh, excuse me," Albus said, moving his hands up again.

The world around Scorpius was spinning. He was so desperately in love with Albus. He wished that he had to guts to share this with the whole world. So much of him wanted to walk around shouting to the stars and moon and every person within the halls of Hogwarts that he and Albus Potter were together, they were happy, they were in love. But he couldn't do it. He was too afraid. He saw a horrible string of repercussions, a black cloud growing larger and larger until it consumed everything… That was something he had to avoid. There could be no all-consuming black cloud, because if Scorpius let himself be consumed, Albus would be consumed too…. And that couldn't happen.

He rolled over onto his back, shocking Albus who was now straddling him from the front.

"Whoa," Albus breathed, laughing a little. But he bent low and planted a kiss on Scorpius' lips.

This was love. So much love. The perfect Valentine's Day moment. Nothing could ruin this, not even if Scorpius tried to. They had all evening to kiss each other, and be with each other and just be in love—young love, both in age and time. But love, just the same.


	53. Happy Valentine's Day

**Chapter 53: Happy Valentine's Day**

The Room of Requirement was silent. Both Albus and Scorpius lay, stretched out on the big bed, close together, holding hands in between them. Neither had a shirt on, but it had only gone that far. Albus listened as his heart pounded in his chest, beating like a hammer against his breastbone.

He was in love. He never thought it would happen, not at Hogwarts. But it had. And he considered himself to be one of the luckiest people alive, at that moment.

But.

There was always a but.

Albus wasn't sure how long he could do this. No matter what he said, he wanted the world to know now, more than ever. It threatened to burst out of him at every second. And it wasn't just that he wanted people to know that he was gay—he wanted people to know that he was in a relationship, that he was in love, and that Scorpius Malfoy was his and no one else's.

"Scorpius?" Albus prompted, looking up at the high ceiling.

"Yeah?" Scorpius said. He squeezed Albus' hand.

"I don't think I can do this," Albus said.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius demanded. Panic seeped into his voice, a squirming fear. "What do you mean?" He repeated.

"I don't think… I don't think I can keep everything a secret much longer," Albus said. "I don't want to. I need to tell people."

"Tell people what? About you?" Scorpius said. "Okay. You know what I said a long time ago. You could tell people. You just thought… you thought they might suspect about me then too."

"I want to tell them about me. But I want to tell them about us, too. I want everyone to know that you and I are together—that we love each other." _And that you're mine, _he added in his head. "I want to be able to celebrate my Valentine's Day not in secret."

Scorpius was silent for a long time. The only noise was the sound of his breathing and Albus' breathing. Albus could hear his own heartbeat, and if he listened carefully, he could hear Scorpius' too.

"I can't do that, Albus," Scorpius said after a while. He said it quietly, simply, but his grip tightened on Albus' hand.

"Scorp…" Albus said. "I can't keep this to myself. It's too important to me. I can't do it." He felt the pleading tone in his own voice. It was a plea for Scorpius to understand. Albus was begging him.

"I love you," Scorpius said. "I do. But I can't… I can't Albus. I've told you."

"I know," Albus said. "I know you don't want to—"

"It's not that I don't want to," Scorpius snapped, sitting up and dropping Albus' hand. "It's that I can't."

"You can't _because _you don't want to," Albus retorted. "And I don't understand it anymore. You say you're afraid of the world, but… it makes me feel like shit. It makes me feel like I mean nothing to you, Scorpius. Not nearly as much as you mean to me."

"I can't believe you would even say that," Scorpius said. "You mean everything to me, you prat. I just don't want to see you get hurt. I don't want to be hurt either."

"We won't get hurt," Albus said. "You're being a coward. You have no faith in the world. You're such a coward."

"And you're a fool," Scorpius said, visibly bristling at the word "coward". "I may have no faith, but that's because I know better. I trust the world to be cruel."

"Come with me," Albus ordered, grabbing Scorpius hand and pulling him off the bed.

"What… what the fuck are you doing?" Scorpius said, attempting to stop them. But Albus was stronger. Albus had always known he was stronger, and now he was abusing it.

"Come on," Albus said, going toward the door.

"I don't have a bloody shirt on, Albus," Scorpius said, yanking at their hands to stop them.

"Too bad," Albus said, pulling them out into the hallway. He looked around. There were no people around, but they were bound to come soon. "No one's here, Scorpius. Just relax. I just want you to see that a little more is allowable." He wrapped his arms around Scorpius in a calming hug, and he felt Scorpius relax, unable to remain tense with Albus' arms around him.

"I love you," Scorpius whispered, and Albus could tell that he wanted that to be enough.

"Shh," Albus said, hugging him closely. He locked his arms tightly, just in time for a post-dinner crowd to make its way around the corner. Scorpius stiffened as soon as he heard the noise, but Albus kept him there for a moment.

"What the hell?" Scorpius hissed at him, ripping away from him. The two boys looked at the crowd. Much of it looked back at them, but if they had noticed anything, they didn't seem to care. Among the crowd were several shocked faces, but they shrugged it off and kept walking. No one looked angry or hateful. Everyone simply kept walking, not caring.

"Welcome to the twenty-first century," Albus declared, walking back into the Room of Requirement. Scorpius followed after him, angry.

"What are you playing at Albus?" he demanded.

"Did you see that? Did you see how _no one _seemed to care?" Albus returned, grabbing his shirt off the floor. He stuffed his arms through it, starting to button it up. "How many people was that? Twenty? Not one of them said a thing. Not one of them cared about it. You have to give people a chance."

Scorpius said nothing.

"I know it's hard for you. I know some things have been rough with your parents," Albus said. "But you have to trust me."

"I trusted you to be okay with this. To be patient. And then you did that," Scorpius said. "I can't believe you did that."

"I can't believe you're so shut up in your head that everything is about you, and that people will care so much that you're not the arsehole you like them to think you are," Albus said.

"You're so ignorant," Scorpius snapped. "So convinced that everyone is good."

"No, I'm not convinced," Albus said. "But I am convinced that a lot of people are. And you have to give them a chance to prove it."

"I can't even believe you…" Scorpius said, yanking on his own shirt. He buttoned it quickly. "I'll see you later Albus. Happy Valentine's Day." He stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Albus stood there, watching him go.

-CD-

Scorpius stormed through the school. His skin flared hot with anger, but he was closer to tears than anything else. He slammed his fist into the stone wall, ignoring the pain. He sank to the floor, putting his head in his hands. The tears came, but he figured he could hide them from anyone walking by.

He couldn't believe Albus had done that. Albus knew what Scorpius was going through, how much Scorpius needed to keep things a secret. And yet he had blatantly tried to ruin that. Scorpius put so much trust in him, and that was completely betrayed. He felt like someone had cut him. And it hadn't been some outside evil. It had been the person he was so hopelessly in love with.

"What's wrong, Scorpius?" a voice asked from above him.

He barely looked up. He wouldn't have, if he hadn't recognized the voice. Aria stood up there, looking down at him.

"Where's Albus?" she wondered. "Isn't it Valentine's Day?" She sat down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Scorpius said, waving his hand at her. "We're… we got into a bit of a fight."

"Are you crying, Malfoy?" she wondered, reaching out to touch his face.

"I'm fine," he said, yanking his whole self away from her. "I can't…"

"Okay," she said. "Well… I'll just be sitting here. If you want to say something. You know. Just sitting here."

Scorpius shook his head, wiping at his eyes with his fingers. She patted his shoulder, a gentle, but not really comforting or soothing gesture. She clearly didn't comfort people regularly.

"I don't see why couples must choose Valentine's Day to be a bickering day," she mused. "So many people. You people should just honestly declare a day of peace or something. It would save the rest of us so much trouble."

"I can't… Can we just not talk about it, please?" Scorpius said. "I'm just trying to get over it."  
"Did… Albus do something?" Aria wondered.

"Yes… but…" Scorpius said. He understood Albus, he really did. He just still felt that… it was all wrong.

"But?" Aria wondered.

"It's not… I understand… I just can't deal with it," Scorpius said.

"I'm sure it will be okay."

Scorpius didn't say anything. All he could think of was that crowd of people who had all seen him and Albus hugging. What would they think? What would they say or do? The entirety of Hogwarts would know in a matter of three hours, if people thought there was anything to know. This realization, that Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter were… gay (assumed by an observation of the two of them closely hugging, shirtless)… it would cause the rumor mill to explode.

Scorpius looked up at Aria Zane. "It might be okay. But right now… It's all so screwed up."

The sound of footsteps down the hallway, a crowd of people at least, drew Scorpius' attention. He could see them coming from down the corridor. And then an idea flicked into his head.

"Kiss me," he said to Aria.

"What?" she demanded, practically appalled.

"Kiss me," he repeated.

"What? No! Are you daft? Did you forget about Albus?" Aria practically screeched.

"Just do it," Scorpius said. "Please."

She looked at him for a moment, speculating. "This goes against my better judgment." She leaned in then, putting a hand on the side of his face. She kissed him carefully, not too passionately, but enough so that anyone who saw would think it was a fairly serious kiss.

The crowd walked by, a few of them taking their time, as always trying to figure out who exactly was snogging in the corridor. But it was all Scorpius could do. He had to do it. He had to make it seem like he and Aria Zane were a thing. She had promised to help him, after all. And here they were. He wanted everyone to be able to see that he was kissing a girl. It would remedy anything that had happened in the other corridor just minutes before. Now they would see that he was straight. They would see it.

Scorpius pulled away from Aria carefully as the rest of the crowd dribbled away, the last few stragglers disappearing. He looked at her, and she smirked at him. He gave her a nod, hoping that gave her the thanks he needed to give her. She smiled back, nodding too and taking her hand away from his face.

Scorpius sighed, turning to where the crowd had stood moments before. He froze. Two people were left from the crowd. They hadn't moved on. They stood there, looking at the scene on the floor before them. Scorpius lifted his head to really see their faces, though he knew exactly who they were.

Albus and Lily Potter stood in front of him. Lily looked absolutely disgusted. Albus on the other hand, looked as if someone had cut out his heart and squished it on the floor in one solid stomp.

"Albus—" Scorpius attempted.

But Albus was already turning, practically running down the corridor, away from them.

Lily gave Scorpius one last baleful look and followed her older brother.


	54. Love: It's a Four Letter Word

**Chapter 54: Love: It's a Four-Letter Word**

The door to the boy's seventh grade dormitory, in the Gryffindor tower, was blasted open. Albus looked up with a start. He had sealed it tightly, he thought, but Rose had figured out how to get it down. Followed by Lily, Albus' best friend and favorite cousin, stomped into the room.

"Lily told me what happened," Rose said, hopping up onto the bed. Albus had thrown himself down on it, face smushed into his pillow.

"Leave me alone," he ordered, not looking at her.

"Albus…" Lily said, hopping onto the bed too. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I just can't handle this right now," Albus said. "I can't believe he did that."

"He's not trying to hurt you, Albus," Rose said. "You know he's gay. He's not interested in her."

"He once told me that there's a very large part of him that wishes he liked girls," Albus said. "So either way, this sort of bothers me Rose. I don't understand why he can't just tell people… I just wanted him to tell people and he went and started snogging her…"

"Albus…" Lily said. "Come on. At least roll over and grace us with some dramatic eye contact."

Albus groaned, obliging and rolling onto his back.

"Do you love Scorpius?" Lily wondered.

"Yes," Albus said.

"Does Scorpius love you?" she continued.

"He says—"

"Does Scorpius love you?" she repeated.

"Yes but—" Albus tried.

"Just yes," Rose said. "Just yes. You love Scorpius, Scorpius loves you."

"Maybe we said it too quickly," Albus said. "It hasn't even been two months. We're rushing it. We're rushing it."

"I don't think so, but I suppose that's for the two of you to decide," Rose said. "Albus, you should go talk to him."

"I can't believe he is so afraid of sharing—no, it's not afraid. It's ashamed. He's ashamed of us. Of the two of us."

"He's not ashamed," Lily said.

"Yes he is," Albus said. "If he wasn't ashamed, he would tell people. But he's ashamed that he's gay. He thinks it ruins the bad boy reputation he's developed for himself."

"Oh come on, Albus," Lily said. "He's scared of what people are going to say about this."  
"Because a part of him wishes he were straight," Albus said. "He thinks it's wrong, so he assumes that other people think it's wrong too, Lils."

"I think you should go talk to him," Rose said again. "That's the only way things work in relationships. You have to talk through this, Albus, instead of stewing and moping about it."

Albus sighed, sitting up. "I suppose you're right."

-CD-

The entire Slytherin common room looked up when the door opened and Scorpius Malfoy stormed in. The expression on his face was purely livid and no one wanted to cross a livid Malfoy. Not one person opened his or her mouth. Not even Maggie. He walked by all of them, heading down the couple of steps and hallway that led to the boys' dormitories. The resounding slam of him closing the seventh years' door echoed throughout the common room.

Scorpius dropped himself on his bed, putting his head in his hands. Nothing was working—not the way it was supposed to be. He couldn't decide if he wanted to cry or scream—probably a little bit of both. He grabbed his pillow off the bed and wrapped his arms around it, burying his face in the pillowcase. He could feel it grow damp with his tears as he bit into the fabric, trying to stifle his scream.

Of course, Maggie couldn't possibly leave him alone. She pushed into the dormitory, her Mary Jane's clicking on the floor. She hopped up on the bed with him, not saying anything. She simply slid her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder as his entire body shook.

"I screwed up," Scorpius said. "We both screwed up."

"What did you screw up?" she asked softly, waving her wand to produce a handkerchief. She handed it to him.

"Everything," Scorpius said, wiping angrily at his eyes.

Maggie just patted his back, saying nothing.

"Albus and I," Scorpius clarified.

"I guessed as much," she said. "I bet everything's not as screwed up as you think."

"First, he pulls me into the corridor, and we're both shirtless and he's hugging me in front of everyone, even though no one can know. And I'm mad at him—I was so mad at him. And then… I kissed Aria Zane. Because I wanted people to think I was straight…"

"I heard about that," Maggie said. "All of it. Both the hugging, and the kissing. The rumors are battling each other. No one quite knows what to think."

"I don't even know what to think," Scorpius said. "I don't know if I'm more mad at Albus or myself."

"I'll bet it's a tie," Maggie said. "But I think he's probably a little bit of both too."

"I don't know what to do," Scorpius said. "He wants to tell everyone. But I can't do that. And it upsets him. He thinks this doesn't mean as much to me as it does to him. I can't do this Maggie. I don't want to fight with him. I love him."

"I know you do," Maggie said. "I know. And I know that Albus knows you love him too."

"But… I can't believe I kissed her," Scorpius said. "I can't believe I… I shouldn't have done that."

"Scorpius," she said. "It'll work out, okay? Maybe you should go talk to him."

"I can't," Scorpius said. "Not right now. Not when I'm so confused. I don't even want to go out there. I don't want people looking at me and trying to figure out which way I swing, Maggie. I never wanted this."

"If you don't want them guessing, then maybe you should tell them," she said.

"Ugh," Scorpius groaned, throwing his pillow at the headboard. "I can't. I can't make these decisions. I don't want to."

"Sometimes you have to make decisions you don't think you can handle," she said softly, taking the handkerchief and wiping away some more of the tears. She was so often like a mother to him, when she wasn't being his obnoxious best friend.

"I know," he said. "But I've never had to do it before."

"Not that you thought about," she said. "But in a way… you decided to accept that you were gay. How impossible was that?"

-CD-

Albus found her sitting in the corridor, by a window near the Ravenclaw tower. Aria Zane. He stalked up to her, unsure what he was going to say.

"Potter," she said, standing up as soon as he approached. Albus chewed his cheek, looking down at her.

He whipped his wand through the air.

To Aria Zane, it seemed as if nothing happened, at least for the first moment. He simply gave her the most horrible look he could muster and stalked away.

He was almost in a different corridor when he heard her outraged scream.

Aria Zane's most beautiful feature, her most powerful weapon, was her dark, beautiful hair. Thanks to Albus Potter, she now had none of it. And only Albus knew quite how to reverse the particular spell he had used. Smirking to himself, he headed to his real destination.

Down in the dungeons, Albus confronted the solid wall leading into the Slytherin common room. The password had changed since he was last there, and it would not yield to the angry swearing that Albus shouted at it after several failed attempts at entrance.

"Um… what are you doing?" A Slytherin fifth year asked him, a bespectacled girl holding a chunky library book.

"I need to speak with someone," Albus snapped at her. "I'm the Head Boy."  
"I don't think even the Head Boy can come in here, if he's not a Slytherin," she said. Her know-it-all qualities vaguely reminded Albus of Rose.

"Well can you go in there and tell them to come out and talk to me?" Albus said, rolling his eyes.

She looked at him, suspiciously. "I'm not sure I want to say the password in front of you."

Albus was going to hex her in about five seconds. "I'm the Head Boy. I'm not going to abuse this."In his head, he added several offensive words to that sentence.

She crossed her arms at him and turned to face the wall. "Who do you want to talk to?"

"Maggie Braxton," Albus said instantly. He wasn't sure Scorpius would come out to see him.

The girl didn't say anything else but "Morgana." At the word, the wall separated and the girl disappeared through it, leaving Albus stewing in the corridor.

After a moment, the wall separated again, and Maggie appeared, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Hey," she said, giving him a sad smile.

"I need to talk to Scorpius," Albus said. "I didn't think he would come out to talk to me. Is he in there?"

She met his eyes and Albus knew she wasn't lying. "He's not in there. He just left."

"Where did he go?" Albus wondered.

"I'm pretty sure he went to find you," Maggie said. "Or at least that's where he said he was going… Didn't you pass him on your way down here?"

"No…" Albus said. "I guess I'll go look for him…"

"Okay," she said. "Good luck."

"Thanks," he said.

"And Albus?" she said, before he could turn away.

"Yeah?"

"He's pretty upset," she said. "Both at you and at himself. I don't think he knows quite what he thinks right now."

"I'm sorry for what I did," Albus said. "But not that much. And I'm upset with him too…"

"Sometimes that happens in relationships," she said. "You two better be okay. I think you can work through it. No matter how stressed he is about everything, I've never seen Scorpius happier than he has been in the past two months."

"That's good to know," Albus said. "Thanks, Maggie."

"You're welcome," she said. "And if he comes back, I'll let him know you're looking for him."

He nodded, thanked her again, and set off to find Scorpius.

Albus took the most typical path back toward the Gryffindor Tower. He figured that he would at least intercept Scorpius if the latter decided he would start back to his own common room. On his trek, however, Albus didn't cross him. He didn't see him. He did, however, narrowly avoid a furious Aria Zane on her way to the infirmary. Albus wondered if she would tattle on him. It wouldn't look good for the Head Boy to have a detention for balding a peer.

When Albus got back to his own common room, he headed up to his dormitory. The easiest way to find Scorpius, after all, was sitting right in his dorm room, tucked between the pages of _Hogwarts, A History. _The Marauder's Map.

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," _Albus whispered. As he skimmed the inky pages of the map, the dormitory door swung open and Andrew backed his way in, towing Rose after him. Both were laughing and sucking on each other's necks. Albus cleared his throat loudly.

Rose glanced at him, obviously feeling guilty. "Did you find Scorpius?"

"Working on it," Albus said. "I'll let you two enjoy your Valentine's Day."

He walked out of the room and sat down on the stairs outside, silencing the door behind him so no one would have to hear what went on behind it. Skimming the Marauder's Map, Albus checked every inch of Hogwarts Castle for the dot labeled "Scorpius Malfoy." But it was nowhere to be found. Not in the dungeons or the library, or even the tower room. He was invisible, not even on the grounds. That meant, of course, that he had to be in the Room of Requirement.

Albus headed back out into the castle. It was encroaching upon the time when he was supposed to be back in the tower, but he was the Head Boy. He figured he could get away with it. It wasn't too far of a walk to the Room of Requirement. When he got there, he thought exactly what he needed "I need to get to Scorpius, wherever he is hiding, I need to get to Scorpius."

The Room couldn't give him what he wanted. Albus tried phrasing it several ways, even. But it was to no avail. Either Scorpius had crafted some unique thought to protect him from Albus, or he wasn't there. And every part of Albus told him that it was the latter. Scorpius was gone. He wasn't in Hogwarts, nor was he on the grounds. Still, it didn't take long for Albus to figure out exactly where Scorpius was.


	55. And the World Came Crashing Down

**Chapter 55: And The World Came Crashing Down**

"I guess you're probably right," Maggie said, leaning back against the wall in the dungeons. Albus sighed, looking down to where she sat on the floor.

"Does he do that often?" Albus questioned. "Sneak out? It amazes me that he can get away with it."

"I think Max is the only person who Scorpius thinks might ever understand him," Maggie said. "Though, honestly, I'll bet Max has never pretended to like girls and kissed one to prove his point."

Albus ground his teeth together. "Probably. Only crazy people do that."

"Crazy?" Maggie questioned. She shrugged. "Or just really, really scared, insecure people."

Albus crossed his arms. "You would think it would be harder to sneak out. Honestly, everyone _knows_ about that passageway."

Maggie shrugged again. "He does it anyway."

"I know," Albus said. "What should I do? Should I go after him, do you think?"

"I think he didn't come find you because he needs to clear his head," she said. "Give him some space. He always comes back in the morning, anyway. He has to."

"But… I just want him to know that I love him and that I know this will be okay," Albus said, resting his head against the wall. "No matter what people believe about either of us. I just want to celebrate my Valentine's Day with him."

"I know," Maggie said. "And I'm sure he knows that. I'm sure he feels the same way. But just let Max remind him of that. He'll be back in no time, I'm sure. Max is his voice of reason, I think. Sometimes."

Albus nodded. "It's hard though."

"All relationships are hard," Maggie reminded him.

-CD-

The next morning, when the Seventh Years settled into Charms class, Albus noticed one thing—or, he noticed the fact that something was missing. Scorpius wasn't there. He hadn't been at breakfast and now he wasn't in what had become his usual seat next to Albus.

"Professor?" he asked after a moment. He wasn't sure about this question, knowing he could get Scorpius into serious trouble. But now he was simply concerned. "Professor, do you know where Scorpius is?"  
Professor Marbury gave him an admonishing look. "I thought you would know, Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy left last night. His parents sent a letter requesting that he return home for the remainder of the week and the weekend."

Albus raised his eyebrow as the professor walked away. Maggie swiveled around in her seat.

"What a load," she said, rolling her eyes. "That letter was completely fake. I'll bet Scorpius wrote it himself and used a spell to clone his father's handwriting. It's not that difficult. I forgot to have my parents sign my Hogsmeade permission slip third year and I cloned my mum's signature off a letter from the year before."

"I can't believe he's going to stay away for the whole weekend," Albus said, chewing compulsively on the end of his quill.

"He's being dramatic," Maggie said.

Albus fished around in his bag when Professor Marbury's back was turned. Finding a box at the bottom, he pulled out a orange and purple chewy sweet. Surreptitiously, Albus chomped off the orange end. As soon as the candy hit his stomach, Albus began to bleed profusely from the nose.

"Oh Merlin!" Rose said from behind him as Albus attempted to stem the flow of blood with his robe. "Here, Albus, I'll help you."

She waved her wand, but to no avail.

"Professor," Albus gurgled through the flow of blood as people tried to sidle away from him. "I think I ought to go to the hospital wing."

"Of course, of course," Marbury replied, waving him off, looking queasy at the sight of blood.

"Get my things for me, would you, Rose?" Albus wondered, gagging on his own blood as he bolted from the classroom.

Once in the corridor, Albus spit out some of the blood that had dribbled into his mouth. Some dripped onto the floor as he shoved the purple end of the sweet into his mouth. The bleeding instantly stopped. After waving his wand a few times, Albus had a clean face and clean robes, and he had siphoned the blood off the floor as well. With a silent thank you to his Uncle George and late Uncle Fred, Albus darted off to the Humpback Witch.

-CD-

Albus cleared his throat, knocking assertively on the door of Max Wylie's apartment. He didn't know what he was going to say—he didn't even know for certain that Scorpius was there. Still, he had to make sure. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for someone to answer the door.

"One minute!" he heard from the other side, the voice of Max Wylie reaching him through the wood. The door opened a crack and Max's eye peeked through it.

"Can I come in?" Albus wondered.

"Oh…" Max said, pulling the door back the rest of the way. "Sure." As he pulled the door back, he saw why Max had been so careful opening the door. The only thing wrapped around his waist was a towel. He had a fresh hickey on his neck and what looked like claw marks on his shoulders. Suspicion—and the pain that came with it—flared up in Albus as he pushed through the door. He had to clear his throat to keep his voice from catching.

"Where's Scorpius?" Albus demanded, looking around the apartment in a crazed haze. The couch was empty—it didn't even look slept in. But there was worse evidence: a green and silver Slytherin tie was draped recklessly over the back of one of the kitchen chairs, a button down Hogwarts uniform shirt was cast carelessly on the floor in a heap, next to black shoes and a pair of black socks.

"Albus—" Max said quickly, trying to stop the younger man from tearing through his apartment, but a little impaired by the towel he had to keep safely up on his hips. Ignoring common social custom, Albus stormed into Max's bedroom, pushing the door open with a dramatic flourish.

"Albus!" the shout reached him through a world that had begun to crumble. Albus dropped his hands as he stood there in the doorway. Scorpius sat bolt upright in Max Wylie's bed. He was obviously shirtless, a sheet pulled up to his waist. In a pile on the floor, Albus could see a pair of black slacks. He knew without second thought that they belonged to Scorpius. Albus stood there, staring at his boyfriend—his boyfriend who was in some other bloke's bed, with rumpled hair and…

"Scorpius…" he croaked softly.

"This is not what it looks like, Albus," Scorpius said, instantly gripping a fistful of his own hair. "Max, tell him this isn't what it looks like…"

"It's not," Max insisted, but, in an instant, Albus had him backed against the wall, a wand at his throat.

"I'll kill you," Albus said to him. "You have a bloody boyfriend. That's _my _boyfriend."

As Albus confronted Max, all he could see were the blaring hickies, the angry red scratches. Everything looked so fresh and new. It made Albus want to be sick.

"Scorpius…" he croaked again, lowering his wand and turning to look back at his boyfriend. Scorpius was silent, curled up in the bed, forehead on his knees.

"Albus…" Scorpius replied softly.

But before he could say anything else, Albus had whipped out of the bedroom, out of the apartment, and aparated once he was through the door.

-CD-

"No, no, no, no, no," Scorpius said, flopping onto his side in Max's. "No, no, no, no."

"Scorpius…" Max said, walking into the room, still holding his towel around his waist. "Scorpius, it'll be okay."

"Oh Merlin," Scorpius said. "I feel like someone beat me with a cricket bat. Hit me with a train. Something. Like maybe the Knight Bus ran over me, put it in reverse and then backed over me."

How many times had Scorpius woken up in this bed? Too many. Usually he felt good, but still sick to his stomach, like he couldn't believe what had happened, as exhilarating as it was. This time, however, he felt nothing but sick. He felt as if he was the worst human being to ever grace this planet.

"I'm going to go put clothes on," Max announced. "You should probably do the same."

Max grabbed clothes out of his dresser and headed out of the room to change in the bathroom, leaving Scorpius alone. The younger boy climbed out of the bed, pulling up his slacks. He hooked the belt and headed to find his shirt. The t-shirt was on the floor by his pants, but he had no idea where to find his uniform shirt. He didn't bother looking presentable. He wasn't due back to Hogwarts until Monday.

"Do you want breakfast?" Max asked him from by the stove when Scorpius appeared. The only reply was a shake of a blonde head as Scorpius picked up his shirt and tie and put both on. Max furthered the question. "Are you sure?"

Scorpius nodded, looping his tie over his neck. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do. Albus was certainly back at Hogwarts at this point, and Scorpius couldn't go back. He had no idea how he would explain this…. He could feel the tears coming as he tied his shoes, but he wanted to hide them. Of course, Max would see through the shaking shoulders and sniffling instantly.

"Cheer up, mate," he said. "I promise things will be fine."

When Scorpius looked up at him, Max awarded him a wink.

Cringing, Scorpius stood up. "Thank you." That was all he could say. He was hung-over and he felt like the worst person in the world. He felt as if his relationship had just been set on fire—and not a passionate fire. A destructive, all-consuming fire.

He walked toward the door, leaving Max by the counter, eating cornflakes. He pulled on his cloak to go out into the February chill.

There were very few places he could go. In times like this, he always thought, he would go home, or go see James. Neither was an option. His parents wouldn't want him home, and James would be on Albus' side. He walked out onto the street and turned sharply.

The Three Broomsticks was crowded and bustling with people finishing breakfast before some morning shopping. He ducked his head upon seeing Albus' grandmother, Molly Weasley, chatting with Hestia Jones at one of the tables. Instead, Scorpius walked up to the bar, where a former Hufflepuff, niece of Tom the old barman, gave him a pitying look.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" she wondered sweetly.

He just grunted at that. "Do you have something for a hangover?"

She nodded, ducking behind the bar and pulling out a green vial, which was filled with some sort of tonic.

"Don't want to talk about what's bugging you?" she wondered leaning forward on the bar. If Scorpius remembered rightly, her name was Josephine, and she was considered to be one of the world's nicest people, if a bit simple.

"Not really," Scorpius replied, sipping the sharp, bubbly tonic.

"Okay," she said. "Just remember, barmaids are often the friendliest ears. We don't judge and we don't tell." She smiled at him. "My lips are sealed, whatever you say."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"You're the Malfoy boy, right?" she determined.

"Yeah," he said.

"I thought so." She winked at him and turned to take someone else's order.

* * *

Chapter 56 Preview: "Oh Merlin, you're not kidding. I'll kill him, I'll kill the little weasel."


	56. Family Emergencies

**Chapter 56: Family Emergencies**

Very little could rival the shocked look on Harry Potter's face when he returned to his office after an Auror Office meeting. Albus sat at the desk, waving his wand to send a paper airplane whipping around the room, in the style of an interdepartmental memo.

"Albus," Harry said. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Albus said. "I just didn't know what… I kind of ditched school. Skived off class. Thanks to Uncle George."

"I can see that," his father said. "What… what are you doing here?"

"I just can't be there right now," Albus said. "Could you… owl them or something?"

"What do you want me to say? My son ran away from school, but it's okay, he's with me," Harry suggested.

"That would be great, thanks," Albus said, resting his forehead on his father's desk.

"What's wrong, Albus?" Harry demanded, pulling out the chair in front of the desk, as Albus was occupying his.

"Relationship issues," Albus said, waving his hand through the air. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Why not?" Harry wondered.

"You wouldn't understand," Albus informed him.

"Try me," Harry said.

"Ever been gay, Dad?" Albus questioned.

"No, I can't say that I have," Harry said, smiling a little at that.

"Then you wouldn't understand," Albus said. Albus didn't smile. He didn't even lift his head from the desk.

"But I have been in relationships before," Harry pointed out.

"Yeah. With that woman who bought Flourish and Blotts—Cho something or other—and Mum. You have worlds of experience."

"Yes, but I at least made one of those relationships succeed," Harry reminded him, unfolding the paper airplane Albus had made. It was an important memo from the Minister. Sighing to himself, Harry ironed out the creases with his wand.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Albus said. "Maybe I'll go talk to James or something."

"What am I supposed to say to the school, Albus?" Harry demanded.

"Tell them it's a family emergency and that you owled me first and that I rushed away as soon as I heard because their security is lacking and it was fairly simple."

"What's the family emergency?" Harry questioned.

"I'm having a mental crisis," Albus said, standing up and pushing the desk chair back. "I'm going to go find James."

"Albus, you can't just do this…"

"Dad, don't you trust me? I'm like the perfect student. Do you think I would leave school without a reason?"

"I suppose not," Harry said, standing up and looking at his son. "You're worrying me, Albus."

"I know. I'm sorry," Albus said.

"Can I at least ask who the other half of the relationship is?" Harry questioned.

"No," Albus said. "The other half doesn't want anyone else to know."

"It's Scorpius, isn't it?"

"You didn't hear that from me," Albus said.

"No, I didn't," his father agreed. "I guessed it over Christmas."

Albus walked out of the office, leaving his father even more confused that before. But Albus didn't know what to say. He knew his father wouldn't have the right advice, because Harry had never been cheated on before. And Harry wouldn't ever approve of Scorpius if he learned that Scorpius was fairly sexually cavalier, and even more so if he learned at Scorpius cheated on Albus.

James, however, until Maggie, was the king of screwed up relationships. He had been cheated on, and he had once cheated on someone. He had every type of relationship mess up that people could have. Maybe he wasn't gay, but he could at least give Albus a little advice about relationships in general.

The Department of International Magical Cooperation was always in one of two states. Either it was crazy and bustling, in the middle of some sort of crisis, or it was calm and quiet, with people doing their simple jobs in peace and cooperation. This day was a quiet day. The only thing Albus could really hear was someone talking loudly in another language—if Albus had to guess, he would say Russian—as if they were talking to a deaf person.

James had a cubicle. He hadn't gotten himself an office yet, but he was on his way. The big office went to their Uncle Percy, the Head of the department. James was bent over a piece of parchment, writing with his quill, listening to a recording of some woman speaking another language at him.

"Hey," Albus said, knocking on the edge of the cubicle. James looked up sharply.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded, hopping up and waving his wand to silence the recorded voice.

"Sorry to bother you. If you're busy, don't mind me," Albus said, waving his hand at the parchment.

"Nope, not busy at all," James said. "Attempting to learn some basic Portuguese. I have to go to Brazil in the next month or so, and I don't want to be completely lost."

"Brazil?" Albus wondered.

"Long story," James said. "I think it's more important that we address the issues at hand. Why aren't you at school? Do Mum and Dad know?"

"Dad does," Albus said. "And I'm just sort of having an emotional mental crisis."

"What's wrong?" James wondered, leaning against his desk.

"Relationship issues," Albus said.

"Well, you know me," James said. "If you're having an issue, I've probably had it at least once."

"Scorpius cheated on me," Albus said.

"_What?" _James said, practically laughing. "That's ludicrous. You're kidding. You've got to be kidding Albus." James looked at him for a moment. "Oh Merlin, you're not kidding. I'll kill him. I'll kill the little weasel…"

Before James could lunge out of the cubicle, Albus put a hand up. "That's not the whole story."

"I think it's enough," James grumbled.

"Well there's a lot leading up to it," Albus said, launching into the story about the hug in the corridor, the kiss with Aria Zane, and all of Scorpius' secrecy. All of it ended with that horrible culmination this morning.

"Wait…" James said. "Are you absolutely sure he cheated on you?"

"Ninety percent sure," Albus said.

"Well damn," James said, tapping his wand on his knee.

"Well damn," Albus echoed.

-CD-

Scorpius looked up at the daunting silhouette of Malfoy Manor. Where else was he supposed to go? He couldn't wander around Diagon Alley all day, and he certainly wasn't going back to Hogwarts. There was a chance—though a very slim one—that he could slip in unnoticed. He didn't know how possible that was, but he could give it a shot, at least.

He walked up the walk, blasting a path ahead of him through the snow. At least his father was at work. He would only have to evade his mother. Besides, she was more peaceable to deal with. He would be in less trouble with her, if he explained how he had forged a note to get him away from Hogwarts.

Scorpius pulled open the massive front door, slipping inside. He attempted to close it quietly, but the solid boom of the door closing echoed throughout the house.

"Draco?" he heard his mother's bell voice echo from the drawing room. "Are you home, dear?"

Astoria Malfoy appeared in a beam of light from down the hallway. A golden chink illuminated her beautiful frame, which stood in shock at the sight in front of her.

"Scorpius?" she questioned, rushing forward, heels clicking on the marble. "Is that you, sweetheart?"

"Yes," he replied hoarsely, stepping closer to her. He brushed snow off of his shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I don't know…" Scorpius said. "I sort of… snuck out of school. I… forged a note… and I… I don't know what to do, Mum."

She swept him into a hug as soon as the tears started pouring out of his eyes. She patted his back, rocking him gently back and forth even though he towered over her.

"Oh honey," she said. "It'll be okay, Scorpius. I don't know what's wrong, but I promise it will be okay. Come on, love, hang up your cloak and come in. I'll make you some hot chocolate, sweetheart."

Scorpius could barely force himself to break out of the comfortable embrace of his mother, so welcome and so long-forgotten. He sighed to himself as she let go, offering him her handkerchief with a small, sad smile.

"I've missed you, Mum," he said.

"I've missed you too," she replied softly, rubbing his back as he hung up his cloak.

"I love you," he said.

"Oh dear, I love you too," she promised him, leading him deeper into the house.

Scorpius didn't quite understand this. Neither of them said a word as she made him some hot chocolate in the kitchen. He simply sat at the table and she stood at the counter. But everything was so welcoming and comforting to him. The house, the smells, the way the air felt when he walked from room to room, his mother's soft smile… the way she stood, or leaned in her high heels.

She set the cocoa down in front of him and sat next to him at the table.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" she wondered as he watched small marshmallows bob around and turn brown as they floated on top of his drink.

Scorpius sighed. He didn't really know how to explain this to his mother without exactly explaining the delicate relationship he had with Max Wylie—and his relationship with Albus, too.

"Remember Albus, Mum?" Scorpius said.

"Yes, I do," she said. Scorpius internally applauded her for not cringing or anything like that.

"I love him, Mum," Scorpius said.

"You do?" she said. "Well then."

Scorpius wasn't sure what "well then" meant. He didn't know if that was a bad or a good thing.

"But we're sort of having some problems," Scorpius further explained, stirring a spoon around in his cocoa and putting his chin in his hand. He tried to avoid looking up at his mother. She didn't say anything for a moment.

"What sort of problems?" she wondered.

"I don't really know how to describe them to you, Mum," Scorpius admitted. "Not really."

"Have you two broken up?" she asked.

Scorpius thought about that for a moment. It certainly seemed as if they had. Or at least, that was what the expression on Albus' face had told him, right before Albus raced out of the apartment.

"I'm not entirely certain," Scorpius said.

"Oh." Astoria looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if the answers to all of life's important questions were written up there. "Well, is he in love with you, too?"

"I think so," Scorpius said. "And I think that might be part of the problem."

"Why?"

"Because I think that he thinks he loves me exponentially more than I love him," Scorpius explained. He heaved a sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"You have to prove to him that you love him," Astoria said. "Just as much as he loves you, I mean."

"Well, the problem is, I'm fairly certain he doesn't want to deal with me right now," Scorpius said.

"Oh. Well why not?" his mother wondered. "That doesn't make any sense to me. He loves you, but he doesn't want to deal with you?"

"I think I upset him," Scorpius said. "No, I know I upset him. He hates me right now."

"He hates you and loves you?" Astoria questioned. "You're really not making sense here, honey."

The sound of the big front door closing caused both of them to look up. Neither said a word as they heard the familiar click of nice shoes on the marble. Scorpius tensed up, ready for a fight, waiting. His mother watched the door carefully. Both waited for Draco Malfoy to show himself.

* * *

Chapter 57 Preview: "I don't... I don't want to be gay right now!"


	57. The Secret Keeping Thing

**Chapter 57: The Secret-Keeping Thing**

"Hi," Scorpius said, looking up at his father, managing the first word.

"Hello," Draco Malfoy replied. "What are you doing here, Scorpius?"

"Long story," Scorpius said, glancing at his mother.

"Long story," Astoria agreed. She smiled at her husband. "You're home early."

"Finished up quickly," Draco explained, still looking at his son. "It's been a while, Scorpius."  
"Yes, it has," Scorpius agreed. He cleared his throat, standing up. He walked over to his father and offered out a hand, a familiar Malfoy handshake. His father accepted, shaking it promptly and warmly. Usually, the two of them would follow it with hug—once upon a time. This time, however, they both dropped their hands awkwardly, clearing their throats. They were unsure what to do.

"Why are you here?" his father asked as Scorpius moved back around the table and sat down. Draco sat down too, looking at him.

"I just… I had to get out of school. I don't know. Relationship issues," Scorpius said carefully, trying to avoid the topic of Albus, not wanting to set his father off, but knowing it was inevitable.

"What happened?" Draco wondered. Usually, Scorpius would explain everything to his father. His father never got angry with him when speaking of his sexual exploits. Draco never scolded him too much, never really judged Scorpius choices. But Scorpius had never said a word about Max Wylie to his father, for obvious reasons. He didn't think his father would understand how that relationship had worked, and now, how it was ruining his relationship with Albus.

"I don't really know how to explain it," Scorpius said.

"Okay," Draco said. "Did you two break up?" Scorpius mentally applauded his father for not cringing as he said that.

"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I think so…?"

"Well you might want to clarify that," Draco said. "When are you going back to school?"

"I have to be there Monday morning," Scorpius said. "I sort of… forged a note from you."

"I figured as much," Draco said. "You've done it before. You're too talented."

Scorpius shrugged.

"I think you ought to talk to Albus," Draco said. Scorpius was surprised he even said that name.

"That's what I said, "Astoria pointed out.

"I don't really think Albus wants to talk to me right now," Scorpius said, sipping at the hot chocolate.

"What happened?" his mum asked, reaching out to rub Scorpius' shoulder. "Won't you just say?"

"No," Scorpius said. "It's such a screwed up tale. It's not exactly… well I'm not going to tell it in front of my mum."

Astoria raised an eyebrow at him.

"Would you say it in front of me?" his father wondered.

"Not really," Scorpius said. "You're not exactly supportive of my relationship, I'm sure you don't want to hear about it."

His father didn't say anything. He sat there silently for a moment, apparently assessing what he wanted to say, and how he wanted to say it.

"Astoria, could you leave us alone for a moment?" Draco asked, looking at his wife.

"Of course," Astoria said, smiling a little. She stood up and left the two of them alone in the kitchen. She cast one last, slightly worried, look at the two of them.

"Scorpius," Draco said. "I know that I was anything but supportive of you when you told us that you are… gay."

"No, you weren't," Scorpius said, shuddering to himself at the memory.

"I'm sorry," Draco said. "I am sorry about that. Not a day later I realized how horrible everything sounded. It's taken me some time to process everything it, Scorpius. I just didn't expect this. It came out of nowhere."

"Did it really?" Scorpius questioned. "Because I thought… Well, I mean, people can guess, usually… I mean… Albus' parents figured him out."

"Scorpius, you used to ask me advice about the sheer number of girls you were shagging," his father said.

"Oh," Scorpius said. "I suppose that makes sense… I can see how that would confuse you."

Draco nodded. "I… The way of life… I don't… I didn't understand it at first. It… it seemed so unnatural to me, Scorpius. I was just so surprised, so… I couldn't believe it. But… I've had time to process this. I don't know… if you can forgive me. I'm sorry that I told you that you should give being straight a shot. That was wrong of me—I know, you have obviously tried that, at least on your own. You didn't need me telling you that. So I apologize."

"Right…" Scorpius said.

"I'm still struggling with this, Scorpius," Draco said. "I'm working on it. In the end, you're my son and I love you. I may not be comfortable with this yet, but I am supportive of you. You ought to know that."

Scorpius ignored the entirety of that sentence, save for three words. "I love you." He never expected to hear that from his father again. Maybe it was empty—maybe it wasn't real, maybe Draco didn't mean it, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he said it. Even if he never accepted the way Scorpius was, at least he said that.

"I don't necessarily love this, and I'm not fond of the idea, but I will do my best," Draco declared. "Now. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? Why are you here?"

Scorpius sighed. "It's just… Albus and I… we don't agree on what we should do—if we should tell people about our relationship or not… I never wanted to, he always did. And we got into a fight about it. I kissed a girl. That obviously made things worse."

"Well, yes," Scorpius' father said. "I can see why that upset him. You probably shouldn't have kissed another person, if you're in a relationship."

"No… I shouldn't have," Scorpius agreed.

"But that can't be the problem. Your relationship certainly can't be over because of that…" his father said.

"Yeah…"

-CD-

Albus went from angry to upset and back to angry. He was fuming inside. He wanted to stab Max Wylie with his wand, desperately. And once he did that, Albus wanted to do the same to Scorpius. Sort of. In fact, a major war was taking place within Scorpius. One side of the war wanted to murder Scorpius—this side was furious with him, betrayed, wounded, fuming. The other side… the other side was still so hopelessly in love with him. It was their other side that was causing so much pain. Neither side was coming out on top quite yet.

He felt unwanted. Painfully so. He felt like Scorpius never really cared for him—if he had, he never would have done any of this to Albus. It hurt so much to think about it. Albus had put so much into this relationship. He had given it everything. And now he was crushed.

He didn't think it was possible to feel heartbreak at the age of eighteen. Albus had never envisioned that for himself. Now… here he was, destroyed, confused, struggling with everything. For the first time in his life, Albus Potter was not okay with being gay.

"I don't… I don't want to be gay right now," he told James, flopped on the sofa in James' apartment.

"Did you ever _want _to be gay?" James questioned.

"I guess not, but I at least was okay with it. Now I'm not even okay with it. It's caused me too many problems," Albus grumbled.

"No more than being straight has caused straight people problems," James pointed out. "People cheat and get cheated on all the time on this side of things too."

"I know that," Albus said. "I know… but it's this secret-keeping thing. If I was straight, there would be very little secret keeping. Straight people don't have to hide their love."

"No one has to hide their love," James said. "Some people choose to, though."

Albus shook his head. "I'm really done with this whole relationship thing."

"Albus, you've had one relationship in your life," James said.

"Yeah, and he fucked another bloke after a moment of stress," Albus said. "How charming. I can't handle shit like that, if that actually goes down in all relationships."

"Didn't you say this Max character has a boyfriend?" James wondered.

"Yeah," Albus said. "His name is Albert. He works at Flourish and Blotts."

"Right," James said. "I thought so. I mean… this all depends on viewpoint, but don't you think he ought to know that Max cheated on him?"

"Well of course he ought to know," Albus said. "The question isn't whether or not he ought to know—he certainly should be aware of the injustice done to him. But the question is, who is going to tell him? I feel like Max ought to be the one to do it. A bit of me feels like Max is man enough to do that, anyway. Another bit of me thinks that the best way to get revenge on Max is to tell Albert for him."

"Well, it's whatever you want to do," James said, chuckling a little.

"I just… it amazes me. It seemed like Albert and Max had the perfect relationship. They really cared about each other. They balanced each other out and it was all very simple and put together. It seemed so classy. And then Max did this. I feel so bad for Albert. He didn't deserve this."

"You didn't deserve it either, Albus," James reminded him. "You were nothing but amazing in your relationship with Scorpius. Except for maybe when you dragged him shirtless into the hallway."

Albus pictured that moment in his head—the last time he had held Scorpius. He missed him. But in his mind's eye, Albus could see them, he could see the chain hanging around his own neck, the pendant bouncing across his chest as he rushed back inside the Room of Requirement.

Not even thinking, Albus slid his hand up, fisting the pendant, the two snakes. He had thought it meant so much to Scorpius. To Albus, it had been a great symbol, the mix of Gryffindor and Slytherin souls, a dangerous, tempting, wonderful love. It was beautiful. Everything about their love was beautiful to Albus. And now it was as if someone had mutilated all of it, deformed it, leaving it ugly and evil, even if the pendant still felt whole and perfect in his hand.

He didn't know what to do. So much of him wanted to go to Flourish and Blotts, find Albert, and lay it all out there for him. He deserved to know. And no one would be more willing to help Albus get back at Scorpius and Max than the man who was just as much a victim as Albus was.

"So what's the plan, little brother?" James wondered.

"I think I might go to Flourish and Blotts," Albus said.

"Do you want me to come with you?" James wondered.

"No," Albus said. "I should probably handle this myself."

He stood up, walking out of James' kitchen. Once he reached the living room, he turned on his heel and aparated out of the flat, right into Diagon Alley. It was a bustling, snowy sort of day, but not too bad. Albus ducked into the always packed bookshop.

Albus wasn't quite sure what he was going to say. He didn't know how to break this sort of news to someone. But he had to say it. He had to get it out there.

"Can I help you?" a witch asked kindly from by the front window.

"I'm looking for someone," Albus explained. "Albert?'

"He's in the back," she said. "Just call him out when you get there."

Albus walked toward the back of the shop and ducked his head through the door to the back room. "Albert?" He called the name cautiously.

The wizard appeared, carrying an armload of books.

"Albus," he said. "What a surprise. What are you doing here?"

Albus sighed at him, taking a deep, preparing breath. "There's something you ought to know."


	58. Talk

**Chapter 58: Talk.**

"What do you mean?" Albert demanded.

"It's sort of… rough," Albus said.

Albert glanced around the bookshop and grabbed Albus by the wrist, pulling him into the private back room.

"What are you talking about?" Albert asked, dropping his voice. "Is Max okay? Scorpius?"

"They're fine," Albus scoffed. "Too good, in fact. Albert, did Max ever tell you… about the relationship between him and Scorpius?"

"That they used to sleep together? Yes, he did," Albert said, clearly shuddering a little bit at the thought.

"Well… Scorpius and I had a bit of a row, and he disappeared. I went after him and I figured… I figured he went to Max's, you know?" Albus said, looking down at the floor.

"Yes, I know. What are you trying to say, Albus?" Albert wondered, starting to look nervous.

"I went to Max's apartment. When I got there, Scorpius was in Max's bed. All of his clothes were strewn all over the apartment. And Max…"

"Don't say it," Albert said, reaching out and putting a hand over Albus' mouth. He collapsed back against the wall. "Don't say it, Albus."

Albus didn't say anything else, but just looked at Albert who had a hand over his eyes. Albus pitied him almost as much as Albus pitied himself.

-CD-

Scorpius already wanted to go back to Hogwarts. He wanted to go and talk to Albus. He wanted to attempt to explain himself, if only for a moment. But that meant Albus would have to hear him out, and he was nearly certain that Albus never wanted to speak to him again. And obviously, Albus wasn't at school now anyways. He seemed to have forged some sort of excuse as well.

Scorpius looked up at his father, sighing a little. Draco Malfoy looked back at him, hands on his hips.

"I don't know what to say," Draco Malfoy. "That's very complicated. But honestly, you ought to just explain yourself to him. Explain everything. Talk about it. That's what I've found in relationships—you need to talk through them. I had this girlfriend when I was in Hogwarts. Her name was Pansy Parkinson—you've met her daughter, Melinda Zabini, I'm sure. For one thing, I was in a horrible part of my life, obviously, but for another, we didn't trust each other.

"Anyway, then I met your mother. And I learned really quickly that there is no nonsense when you want to be in a serious relationship. You have to put everything out there—all of it. Truth and everything. Just get it out there. It's the other person's choice whether or not they want to listen."

"Right…" Scorpius said. "But that involves finding him. And right now, he's not at Hogwarts either."

"I don't understand how you all can get away with this," Draco said. "In my day, it would be damn near impossible."

"People trust us," Scorpius said. "I mean, I'm sure we're going to be admonished for leaving before they told us we could go, or something, but it will be fine. They're not going to bother punishing us too much, simply because we're some of the best students in the school… other than that, we should be fine."

Draco shook his head, unsure what exactly he was going to say to that.

"Well you forged a note to get yourself out of school through Monday. It's only Thursday," Draco said. "It'll be impossible to fix things if you just sit here at home for the next few days."

"I know," Scorpius said. "I know, I know. But I don't know how to find him."

"You could try his parents' house," Draco suggested.

"Because I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see me right now," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, they might not even know what happened," Draco said. "And besides. They would probably think better of you—if they do know—if you went to try and sort things out. Harry Potter and I may have our differences, but that doesn't mean he's not a decent individual."

"Oh no, he's certainly decent," Scorpius said. "I just know he cares for his son very, very much."

"You should go and give it a shot," Draco said. "They both should be home from work by now, since it's getting later."

"I loathe just showing up there unannounced," Scorpius complained. "But they're always very hospitable to me."

"Go on then," Draco prompted.

-CD-

Scorpius knocked on the Potter's front door, waiting. He was nervous. He didn't know what awaited him on the other side. He pictured a very angry Mrs. Potter—she was probably something like a very angry Lily. And then there was Harry Potter. That could almost be frightening. And Albus. If Albus was there… Scorpius would throw himself at his feet and sob out an explanation. That was the best outcome he could hope for—that Albus would let him snivel and grovel for two seconds before kicking him out or hexing his prick off.

Mrs. Potter pulled back the door.

"Scorpius," she said, sounding shocked and holding the door open. "What a surprise. Come in."

"Scorpius?" the sound of Mr. Potter's voice echoed from around the corner, and he appeared holding a plate with a cheese sandwich on it.

"I'm sure… you've both probably heard from Albus by now," Scorpius said, clearing his throat.

"Yes, we have," Mr. Potter said grumpily, giving Scorpius a sharp glare.

"I need to talk to him," Scorpius said.

"He's not here right now," Mrs. Potter said. "He was with James."

"Oh," Scorpius said. "Okay then." He turned toward the door, but Mrs. Potter's voice stopped him.

"Won't you come in and warm up a little bit?" she asked kindly. "You look absolutely frozen."

"Ginny," Mr. Potter hissed at her.

"Look, no matter what he's done, I still believe Scorpius is a good person," Mrs. Potter declared, putting her hands on her hips as she addressed her husband. "He proved as much when he was staying with us."

"I also believe he broke our son's heart, Ginny," Harry Potter pointed out.

Scorpius cringed at those words. "Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Potter, but I think it's probably best if I leave. Would you tell Albus I was here? And that I need to talk to him. If he decides he wants to talk to me, I'm at home until Monday. He can find me there, if he'd like."

"I'll let him know all of that," Mrs. Potter promised, giving him a small, sad smile. Scorpius walked back out the door, standing on the frigid front step for a moment. He could go to James' flat, but he didn't know quite where it was. He didn't want to get lost wandering around London. He also supposed he could go back to Max's apartment, apologize for drinking all of his liquor. Or he could just go home. But none of that sounded good to him.

It was freezing out—a frozen February the fifteenth. Snow whipped down on him from a slate-colored sky that layered with thick clouds. Wind howled around the neat rows of houses. It was absolutely the sort of weather Scorpius hated, and despite the bleakness, it was also the sort of weather that Albus completely adored. As the cold nipped at Scorpius cheeks, he pulled his scarf up and hunkered down. He certainly felt alive now. He felt the pain and the worry and the fear and everything that was always working to destroy him. It all had cut out the happiness, pushed it aside. Darkness was falling.

-CD-

"I'm sorry," Albus told Albert, who was still leaning against the wall.

"No—no this is my fault," Albert said. "Oh Merlin. What… what made you think Max and Scorpius had sex?"

"I told you," Albus said, not understanding at all how this was Albert's fault. "Scorpius was in his bed. His clothes were everywhere… I… and Max had hickies all over him. And scratches."

"Oh Merlin," Albert said, pushing off from the wall and slapping a hand to his forehead. "Oh…" And then he was laughing, almost manically to himself.

"I don't find this funny at all!" Albus practically shouted. A little part of him wanted to hex the man in front of him.

"No, of course it's not," Albert said. "I'm just… I trust Max. I'd trust him with anything. I love him, he loves me. And I know he didn't sleep with Scorpius, Albus."

"Well you're wrong," Albus returned. "And foolish. You didn't see them, Albert."

"I know they didn't sleep together because I was with Max all last night," Albert said, smirking. "Come on, Albus. I'll explain."

"Wait… I don't understand at all," Albus said as Albert towed him past an office, where he shouted that he desperately had to leave early. Then they were in the back alley behind the bookstore.

"I'm just sorry we caused this trouble for you…" Albert said, shaking his head.

"You're… you're crazy, Albert," Albus assured him. "I saw them. I saw everything, okay? Scorpius was in Max's bed."

"Yes, I'm sure he was, and maybe I'm not thrilled about it but… well come on, then! We're going to Max's flat," Albert said. "Apparate."

They both turned on the spot and reappeared outside of Max's flat. Albert knocked once, but let himself in. Inside the little apartment, Max sat on the couch, reading a _Daily Prophet _and eating an apple, dressed as if he had just come from work.

"Hey babe," he said, standing up when he saw Albert. But then his gaze fell on Albus and he looked confused.

"Hi," Albert said, walking over to give Max a quick kiss on the lips. Even after what Albus said, Albert was kissing him.

"What… what's going on?" Max wondered.

"Well. Albus here came to find me at work—to tell me that you cheated on me with Scorpius," Albert explained, taking one of Max's hands and nodding toward Albus.

"Oh no!" Max said. "No, Albus you didn't! Did you honestly tell him that?"

"I thought he had a right to know," Albus said indignantly.

Max slapped a hand to his face. "Oh Merlin, Albus. You didn't wait ten minutes for an explanation this morning."

"I'm sorry, but I thought it was pretty obvious…" Albus said. "You shagged my boyfriend."

"I did nothing of the sort," Max said. "Yesterday, I came home from work and I instantly went to Albert's apartment. He made me dinner. And I'm sorry to be candid here, Albert, but Albus, Albert and I had sex last night. The hickies you see? The scratches? They're from _my _boyfriend. Not yours." Albus looked up at him, a little confused.

"I had to come back here to my flat, because there's some stuff I needed. So I got here around three in the morning. And that bugger of a boyfriend of yours had broken in and drank practically all my booze. He's sitting there, blubbering on about you and he's completely sloshed," Max said. "He said he came for advice and I wasn't here, so he just went in. He said all he wanted was one drink, but then it escalated."

Albus was quiet.

"I cleaned him up a little, took away the booze. But he'd spilled vodka on himself, so I told him to take off his shirt and I would clean it up for him. He took it off, cleaned it himself and threw it on the floor. He didn't quite know what he was doing," Max said. "I offered him my bed, because I was going to go back to Albert's. He took me up on that offer, took off his trousers and got in my bed. Alone. In his boxers, mind you, which you failed to notice this morning."

"I was a little preoccupied," Albus pointed out.

"And then I went back to Albert's until about seven, when I came back, checked on Scorpius and got in the shower. And then you knocked on my door. And the problems happened."

Albus looked at him carefully, not saying anything. So much of him wanted to believe what Max and Albert was saying. But another, larger part of him was still so confused.


	59. You Should Know That By Now

**A/N: I just want to apologize for disappearing off the face of the planet. I'm making up for it with this extra-long chapter (900 words longer than usual). **

**Chapter 59: You Should Know That By Now**

"I don't think he believes us," Albert said, glancing at Max.

"I don't think so either," Max said. "But I think… if it wasn't true… you might be hexing me a bit more."

"Just a bit," Albert said.

"Look, Albus, I'd down some Veritaserum if you wanted me to," Max said. "But I don't have any on me, so you have to take my word. I haven't shagged your boyfriend in… probably a year. I promise. And I think he's probably going crazy knowing that you think he did that to you."

Albus shook his head. "I can't believe… I jumped to conclusions… I have to go talk to Scorpius."

"Yes, I definitely think you ought to do that," Max said. "He will probably back up everything I've said—then again, he probably doesn't remember any of it. I think the first thing he remembers is waking up to you freaking out in front of him."

Albus cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I stormed into your apartment."

"It was justified," Max said. "No worries."

"I'm also sorry… for bringing everyone into this. This is between Scorpius and me and we need to figure it out for ourselves," Albus said, nodding his head resolutely. "Alright. Well. I'm going to find a Malfoy…. Thank you for the explanation and… maybe I'll see you guys soon." He had no idea where Scorpius was, but he could only start looking to get any sort of an idea.

"Okay," Albert said. "Good luck. We hope everything works out for you two. As long as you're both happy."

"Yeah…" Albus said. "Well… bye."  
Albus headed back out into the hallway, his head spinning around in circles. He didn't know what he was thinking or what he was going to believe. Once he was outside of the flat, Albus turned sharply and disappeared with a crack.

The first option was his own parents' house. He knew Scorpius wasn't there, of course, but he simply had no idea where Scorpius would be. If Scorpius left Hogwarts, in this situation, the only place that seemed possible was Max's flat. Scorpius wouldn't go back to Malfoy Manor. Not at this point.

Albus' parents sat at the kitchen table, discussing the evening _Prophet _when Albus walked in.

"Hi, honey," his mum said, giving him a small smile. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Albus said, sitting down. "I'm okay."

"Good," she said. "Well… just so you know, Scorpius stopped by. He wanted to talk to you, but obviously, you weren't here."

"I wanted to tell him to go away, but your mother wouldn't," Albus' father told him.

Albus laughed. "It's okay."

"Anyway," his mum continued, giving her husband a silencing look. "He said he's at his parents' house, if and when you would like to talk to him. I, for one, think you ought to go over there and at least hear what he has to say."

"But remember, at this point, you don't owe him anything," his dad contributed.

"No. I do," Albus said. "I think I may have… overreacted a little. I'm going to go talk to him."

"You look exhausted," his mum said. "Don't wear yourself out, honey. You've been apparating all over the place all day long."

"I know," Albus said. "Hopefully this will be the last trip."

"Also… we got you out of school until Monday," she said. "I really had to think to come up with an excuse—what family emergency would pull you away from school, but not Lily?"

"Oh…" Albus said. "I didn't think about that."

"I realized," she said. "But you're fine. I worked it out."

"Thanks Mum," Albus said. "Okay. Malfoy Manor time. Wish me luck."

"Of course," she said. "Good luck, dear."

Albus turned on the spot right in his kitchen. When he rematerialized, it was right outside the large iron gate that locked away the entirety of Malfoy Manor and its grounds. When Albus had come here before, the charms around the house had allowed them to apparate right inside the gate. Now, however, enchantments had to determine Albus safe before opening the gate for him. He stood there, shivering in his boots and soaked jeans, waiting for the gate to open for him.

Once it was open, he ran up the stone walk, reaching with one hand to lift the hefty doorknocker. The resounding thud of the knocker settling down shuddered in Albus' chest. He shivered in the exhilarating cold, waiting for someone to open the door.

It was Draco Malfoy who answered. He seemed surprised to see Albus on the other side. But Albus himself tensed, nervous for the explosive reaction he assumed would come from Mr. Malfoy.

"Hello, Albus," Draco said, pulling the door back and standing aside. "Come on in."

Albus walked through the doors and wiped his feet on the rug, shivering still.

"You can take your coat off and come get warmed by the fire in the parlor," Mr. Malfoy said, crossing his arms.

"Thank you," Albus said, unsure what else he was supposed to say. Mr. Malfoy watched him as he hung up his heavy jacket. He followed Mr. Malfoy through the house and into the parlor. Mrs. Malfoy sat in a chair, something that looked much like the sets of stones they used in Divination class, set out on a small table in front of her.

"Hello, Albus," she said kindly, smiling up at him as he entered.

"Hi, Mrs. Malfoy," he said, relishing the warmth of the massive fire. "Is Scorpius home?"

She set one of the stones down instantly. "You haven't seen him? He went to your house to talk to you."

"I just stopped at home five minutes before I came here," Albus said. "My mum said he was there earlier, but he had left."

"Maybe he went back to Max's?" Draco suggested from where he had taken a seat in one of the big armchairs.

"No, that's where I was before I went back to my house." Albus shook his head.

"Oh dear," Astoria said. "Where could he have gone, Draco?"

"I don't know," Mr. Malfoy said. "Perhaps he'll come back here shortly? Before that, however, Albus, I would like to take this moment to apologize to you."

Taken aback, Albus turned to Draco Malfoy. "Oh… okay."

-CD-

It was freezing. Scorpius was torn. He couldn't decide whether or not he liked freezing. He sat on a bench by the English Channel. Not a soul was around him. No one within his line of sight at least. Maybe it was a good thing, in some ways. He didn't need someone around him right now. He didn't want to have to pretend that he was okay. But at the same time, a witness would guarantee that he wouldn't do anything stupid.

He felt like someone was sitting on his chest, crushing his heart. This, he decided, was what love felt like—or what happened when it disappeared. Knowing that there was a barrier between him and Albus right now… it felt like some sort of void had entered, filled with darkness and evil.

He had stopped crying a little while ago. It hurt too much and the tears froze over on his cheeks, which wasn't good for them. And he felt sick to his stomach. Normally, on a day like this, he would be inside, huddled by a fire or something. But he had a big dark cloud following him anyway, so it didn't matter if he was outside or not.

Scorpius figured he ought to head home, before he froze permanently to the bench. He unstuck himself, amazed at the odd feeling of blood flowing into his stiff legs. He cringed pulling out his wand. He felt like a human icicle, like someone had frozen him up, emotions and everything. He felt dead inside. Usually, the chill would remind him of something, but now he simply felt numb. Once, this would be the way he would feel before he would take his wand and cut a slice into his arm. In fact, several times, he thought he would do just that. But then he thought of Albus. And if things ended up okay, that they were okay, Albus would never forgive him for doing that. That was enough to keep Scorpius calm.

He glanced around him for any potential onlookers and apparated. He landed with perfect steadiness on the front porch of his parents' house. It was a sadly welcome place. He hadn't thought he would feel that way about it ever again.

Scorpius seized the door handle and opened it for himself. He stepped inside. Even though the house was huge and made of stone, instant warmth flooded into his chilled bones. He hung his coat up in the front closet, shaking snow from his hair.

He could hear his parents talking in the parlor. Their voices echoed off the stone of the walls, bouncing right toward him. He wanted to ignore them, but he supposed he ought to at least let them know he was back in the house. Stuffing his still frozen fingers into his pocket, Scorpius started down the hallway.

He pushed open the door to the parlor, instantly cutting off the voices. Everyone looked up at him. But there were three pairs of eyes, instead of the anticipated two. From over by Astoria, obviously just turned toward the set of stones she had out on the table, a pair of very familiar green eyes looked up at him.

"Albus," he practically whispered, dropping his hands to his sides, in shock. Albus stood up and Scorpius drank in his presence. In just hours, Scorpius had nearly forgotten what he looked like.

"Let's… talk," Albus said, walking toward him. He grabbed Scorpius by the hand and pulled him into the hallway. Scorpius felt his heart thud as Albus hooked their fingers together. For hours he had simply believed he would never have that feeling again.

"Everything echoes," Scorpius said, gesturing upward. "My parents will overhear everything. Let's go upstairs."

Albus nodded at him and the two walked in silence, hand in hand to the stairs. Neither of them said a word as they made their way to Scorpius' bedroom, the place where they had shared their first kiss. Scorpius wondered if Albus remembered that—or at least, if he was thinking about it right then, like Scorpius was.

Scorpius closed the bedroom door behind them and turned to look at Albus.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," Albus replied, giving him a small smile. "So. I was talking to Albert and Max."

"You were?" Scorpius questioned, looking up hopefully.

"I'm sorry I overreacted. I realize that you didn't sleep with Max last night," Albus said, sheepishly looking down at the floor. "I think I should have just waited for an explanation."

"Well I can sort of see how you would come to that conclusion. It certainly _looked _that way," Scorpius said softly. "But I wouldn't have, Albus. You and I were still together. No matter what happened… you and I are together."

"Yes, we are," Albus said. "And I wouldn't have it any other way. But I have more to apologize for, Scorpius."

"No—" Scorpius said. If anything, he ought to be the one apologizing.

"Hang on," Albus said, putting a finger on Scorpius' lips. "I need to… I'm sorry I pulled you into the corridor like that… that was uncalled for."

"I'm sorry I kissed Aria. I freaked out. But it was still uncalled for," Scorpius said. "I'm not ashamed to be with you, Albus. I'm just scared."

"I know you're scared," Albus said. "But you don't need to be scared, Scorpius. We can do this together. You just have to trust it. You have to trust me."

"I do trust you," Scorpius said. "With every bit of my body. I'm sorry… I'm sorry I kissed her. That was so wrong… and… I was mad at you… and I'm sorry I made you think I slept with Max. I've been miserable all day. I thought you hated me…"

"I kind of did for a little bit," Albus said. "But only because I love you so much, Scorpius."

Scorpius shook his head. "I love you too. So much."

"Everything got screwed up all at once," Albus said.

"I know," Scorpius said. "And… I think we have some stuff to work out."

"Obviously," Albus said.

"But right now…" Scorpius said. "Right now, all I want to do is kiss you…"

"Wait…" Albus said, holding a hand up.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"What's with your parents?" Albus questioned.

"Everything is going to be okay," Scorpius said. "Maybe not perfect, but at least okay."

"Okay," Albus said. "Good. I was just wondering why your father didn't murder me. It's good to know."

"Yes," Scorpius said. "Now shut up."

"Hey," Albus said, grabbing Scorpius by both wrists and pulling him closer. "Since when do you get to tell me what to do?"

Scorpius smirked at him. "You like it."

Albus didn't say anything, but ducked his head the ever slight distance to meet Scorpius' lips with his. The kiss was short, gentle, almost perfect, like a first kiss.

"Oh Merlin, I've been in a horrible mood all day," Scorpius said. "I'm so happy right now… it's like… whenever darkness falls on me, you just drive it away."

"How… how bad was it?" Albus wondered, concern seeping into his voice. He stepped back for a second, as if analyzing Scorpius from afar, attempting to detect any blemishes.

"It's okay," Scorpius said. "I was just… I was in a bad place in my brain. I felt so numb… Kind of like how I used to feel when I would… when I would cut myself."

"I swear, Scorpius, if you cut yourself…" Albus said, yanking Scorpius arm toward him and pushing the sleeve up.

"I only thought about it," Scorpius said, his eyelids drooping as he felt Albus' tender fingers drift over the inside of his forearm.

Albus shook his head. "Scorpius Malfoy, you listen to me for a second."

"I'm listening," Scorpius said.

"If you _ever _cut yourself again, I will make you watch as I do the same thing to myself," Albus informed him. "And then you can see how it makes you feel. You are far too valuable to me for me to allow you to do that."

"I won't…" Scorpius said.

"Sound more positive," Albus said. "Please."

"I promise," Scorpius said.

Albus put his arms around him, wrapping him tightly.

"Good," Albus said. "Good. I love you too much, Scorpius. Don't you realize that if you hurt yourself, you hurt me too?"

"I'm not… I won't, Albus," Scorpius said, kissing his cheek. He took Albus by the hands and pulled him to the bed, hopping up on it. Albus climbed up with him and pulled him closer.

"So… I'm thinking about our first kiss," Albus announced, pulling Scorpius so that he was practically sitting in Albus' lap.

"Really?" Scorpius said, blushing at the memory of the passionate kissing they did on this very bed.

"It seems like yesterday, but also like five years ago," Albus said, burying his nose in Scorpius' neck.

"I know what you mean," Scorpius said.

Albus sighed, but he smiled at him. "So…"

"So?" Scorpius wondered.

"I think there's one topic we should probably address," Albus said, touching Scorpius cheek very lightly with the back of his hand. Scorpius' eyelids fluttered closed.

"Hmm… what would that be?" Scorpius wondered, even though he was fairly certain he knew.

"The problem that started all of this," Albus said. "You know… what are we telling people? Or not telling people? Or…"

"Oh," Scorpius said. "I don't know."

"I know you're scared, Scorpius," Albus said. "But look at you parents. It just took them a little bit to adjust to the idea. It might catch people by surprise, it might take them a while to get used to the idea… And maybe some people won't ever approve of this, but this is the wizarding world. They'll keep their mouth shut and remember that they like us as people."

"What do you mean, this is the wizarding world?" Scorpius wondered.

"I mean people are at least tolerant of things that are a lot weirder than being gay," Albus said. "Merlin, in the last few years of our lives alone, people are getting so much more accepting of werewolves. I obviously have nothing against werewolves, but if stubborn people are finally not ostracizing them, they really wouldn't fathom ostracizing gay people."

Scorpius laughed. "I guess you're right. I know nothing about the Muggle world, really, but I've always sort of had the impression that we're a little ahead of the times as is…."

"I think so," Albus said. "Besides… if anyone messes with us… well I'm sorry, but I think we can handle them."

Scorpius sighed, looking up at Albus. "I just worry…"

"I know you do," Albus said. "I know you're concerned about this image you have… I know that. People think you're mysterious and dark and all… player." Albus sniffed dismissively at the last word.

"I just don't want any issues to come of it," Scorpius said.

"Hey… in the end, you've got me, Scorp," Albus said. "No one is going to dislike either of us any more than they do now. Not if they're our friends. And I think, yes some of your illusion will be broken… but you 're still frightening. You know what I mean? No one is going to mess with you, because they know what sort of magic you're capable of… And maybe that's the whole illusion after all. You're a Death Eater's son, but that's almost worked out for the best."

Scorpius smiled at him. "Maybe you're right."

"I'm very often right," Albus said. "You ought to know this by now."


	60. The Glorious Hogwarts Rumor Mill

**Chapter 60: The Glorious Hogwarts Rumor Mill**

No official announcement went out. No declarations or speeches were made. In fact, no attention was called to it. Nothing really changed. Life continued almost the same as usual… almost.

Monday morning, the nineteenth of February, welcomed Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter back to Hogwarts. Both boys had returned the night before, to many confused questions by their friends and others who had noticed the sudden—coincidental—absences.

However, when Scorpius arrived in the Great Hall that morning, he didn't go straight to the Slytherin table. Instead, he took a deep breath and headed over to the Gryffindors. Albus sat next to Rose, who was spreading far too much jam on one piece of toast.

"Morning," Scorpius said to the two of them, sitting down for a moment next to Albus. Albus looked down at the bench and reached out carefully, taking Scorpius' hand in his.

"Morning," he said. Albus met Scorpius' gaze, hoping his eyes said, "Are we really going to do this? Please don't freak out on me."

Scorpius' eyes said that he was nervous, but he knew it had to be done.

"So…" Rose said. "This is it then. The world can know?"

Scorpius nodded at her.

"Finally," she said, putting her knife back into the jam with an air of finality. Then she looked down at her toast and realized the excess to which she had coated it. "Ew."

"I'll eat it," Albus said.

"Well I'm going to go sit with the Slytherins," Scorpius said, squeezing Albus' hand and standing up again.

"See you in Arithmancy," Albus said.

"Potter!" the screech filled the entirety of the Hall. Albus looked up to see Aria Zane—still incredibly bald—stomping toward him across the aisles.

"Hello, Aria," he said pleasantly.

"Grow my bloody hair back, Potter," she ordered.

"On one condition," Albus said.

"What would that be?" she demanded.

"Never kiss my boyfriend again," Albus snapped at her.

"Done," she said. "I knew he was gay, by the way. He told me forever ago. I was just helping him out…"

"Wait…" Albus said, his wand hovering in midair. "You knew?"

"I was helping him keep the illusion up," she explained.

"Why didn't he tell me?" he demanded, standing up and looking over at Scorpius.

"Because he's a prat," she said. "Grow it back, Potter."

Albus waved his wand with no ceremony and black, beautiful curls started pouring from her head. "Tell me when."

She let it grow, even longer than it had been before, before she told him to stop.

"How does it look?" she asked Rose.

"Lovely," Albus responded, even though he knew the question wasn't for him.

"Normal," Rose replied.

Albus had already been informed by Professor Longbottom that he had to serve a detention that evening to make up for balding Aria for four days. As much as that annoyed Albus, he figured it was fair, from anyone who was looking at this from the outside.

From across the Great Hall, Albus could see Scorpius smirking as Aria stomped over to the Ravenclaw table.

On the way to Potions, Scorpius seized Albus' hand again, hooking their fingers together as they melded into the flow of the crowd. Right beside them, Rose and Andrew walked, also hand in hand. Albus could see the worry on Scorpius' face as they waited for someone to notice, to comment crudely. But no one said anything yet.

The two boys took their usual seats in the Arithmancy classroom, with Maggie on Scorpius' other side in the long row, and Rose next to Albus.

"I think Aria Zane might murder me," Albus whispered against Scorpius' ear.

"She wouldn't dare," he returned. "I'd kill her first."

Albus laughed rubbing Scorpius' back and giving him a smile.

"No worries," he said. "So far all she's managed is getting me a detention."

"With Professor Longbottom," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. "You're obviously going to be miserable."

"Obviously." Albus smirked.

"What's he going to do? Let you do homework or something?" Scorpius wondered.

"Probably lines for an hour while we actually talk about life," Albus said, pulling a quill out of his bag and opening his notebook.

"Of course it is," Scorpius said, pulling out his Arithmancy notebook and the notebook he more frequently used for doodling.

Albus smiled at him again. "So what are you drawing today?"

"Whatever I feel like," Scorpius declared, waving his quill through the air with a dramatic flourish.

"Honestly, has anyone ever doubted you're gay?" Albus whispered, teasing.

Scorpius elbowed him with a harsh glare, but was finding it hard not to chuckle.

-CD-

Scorpius headed to the library while Albus was doing his detention right after dinner. No one had really noticed the change in relationship between Albus and Scorpius—and if they had, they didn't care or make a comment.

Scorpius sat down at one of the tables, opening his Charms book to work on some of the assignments he had missed over the weekend. He had a lot of work to catch up, but professors were always good about giving enough time to get all of it done. He had, after all, missed two whole days of school.

"So." The word came from no one else but Lysander Scamander, the more rebellious, longer-haired twin, Lily's boyfriend, and perhaps one of the more attractive male specimens left at Hogwarts. He stood in front of Scorpius, bag over his arm, robe thrown over the top of that.

"So?" Scorpius repeated, getting out his quill and ink. His wand was sitting right next to his Charms book. If he needed it, he would have, but he wasn't sure what he expected of the Scamander twin.

"You and Albus," Lysander said. He thought it was a good sign that Lysander didn't call Albus "Potter." Then again, the boys had grown up practically as family.

"Yeah, me and Albus," Scorpius said, unstopping his ink bottle and dipping his quill in it.

"Hmm," Lysander said. "It's a bit odd."

"There's nothing odd about it," Scorpius said.

"No, you're right," Lysander agreed. "Honestly, I was just wondering when the two of you were going to come out with it."

"Huh?" Scorpius froze, his hand poised over the paper. He looked up at Lysander. "What do you mean?"

"Most of the school has had you two figured out for a while. I mean… a lot of people just figured with Albus, after a while. And you… well we Ravenclaws at least, managed to put two and two together eventually. And you two… well it always seemed like more than friendship to most of us."

"Really?" Scorpius questioned, his quill still hovering in midair.

"Yeah," Lysander said. "You two… well… I don't know, it always seemed like the logical explanation."

"How come Albus and I never heard these rumors—we had no idea this is what people were thinking," Scorpius said.

"The Hogwarts rumor mill is a glorious thing," Lysander explained. "It manages to beautifully spread rumors to all of Hogwarts without ever once alerting people that they're being talked about. I feel that, as students, we all deeply respect each other enough to pretend we respect each other's privacy."

"There's no way that's possible," Scorpius said.

"But it happened," Lysander said, shaking his head. "Look… if anyone gives you a rough time, just let me know. Albus is practically family to me, and Lorcan and I would be more than happy to lend a wand here or there, if it was needed."

"Well thank you," Scorpius said. "That is nice to hear, really."

Lysander shrugged. "Of course. Remind Albus I said that though, if he ever wants to kill me for getting near Lily."

"Do you love her?" Scorpius wondered.

"I think so," Lysander said. "Haven't said it yet, and I think it's probably not time… But I really feel something for her. So hopefully Albus will be okay with that."

"Albus will be okay with it, if you really do care about her and you're not just messing around," Scorpius said.

"I'm not just messing around," Lysander said. "At first we both were sort of messing around, Lily and I both… But now we're not."  
"I think Albus might get that," Scorpius said. "But you also might want to tell him."

"I might, you're right," Lysander said, nodding. "Right… well, speaking of Lily, I actually need to go find her. See you later Scorpius."

"Bye," Scorpius said. He looked down at his parchment. As he sat there talking, several drops of black ink had splashed onto it from the tip of his quill. Sighing, he waved his wand to erase them.

-CD-

Scorpius looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Albus walked through the library toward him, bag slung over his shoulder, carrying his robes. He looked very relaxed—about as relaxed as he could in uniform. And as always, to Scorpius, he looked very hot.

"Hey," Scorpius said as Albus sat down at the table with him. Albus stifled a yawn.

"Hi," Albus said.

"How was detention?" Scorpius wondered, smiling at him.

"Fine," Albus said. "I got a lot of work done while talking about life."

"I'm sure you did," Scorpius said, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek. He shivered a little at the feeling of the slight five o'clock shadow that was manifesting itself on Albus' skin. Albus slid his chair closer, twisting his fingers around Scorpius' so that their hands were locked together.

"Doesn't this feel nice?" Albus said. "To not have to hide?"

"Apparently the whole world knew about us anyway," Scorpius said. "Or at least they were speculating."

"Yes, even Professor Longbottom seemed to know…" Albus said, touching Scorpius' cheek.

"I'm not sure if they're sure yet," Scorpius said.

"We can prove it to them, if you'd like," Albus said, leaning forward to peck Scorpius on the lips. Scorpius slid one had up so that it was behind Albus' neck, pulling him closer.

"Did I ever mention that I love you?" Scorpius asked coyly.

"Mm… I don't remember," Albus said, his eyes drifting closed.

"Because I do," Scorpius said.

"You do what?"

"I love you," Scorpius said, brushing his nose against Albus'. "I love you, I love you."

"Ugh, do you have more homework, or can we get out of here?" Albus wondered.

"I'm good. We can get out of here," Scorpius said. "Where do you want to go?"

"We could go to the tower room, if you'd like," he said.

"Of course I'd like," Scorpius said, standing up and starting to shove all of his work away. Albus waited impatiently, tapping his foot dramatically. He smirked when Scorpius was ready, seizing his hand.

"I'm in a really good mood," Albus said. "Detention or not, I'm feeling pretty fantastic."

"I am too!" Scorpius agreed, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Scorpius just took a deep breath. If he took a deep breath, it didn't matter to him anymore. Walking down the corridor, holding hands with Albus, not caring what the rest of the world thought… it was _liberating. _It didn't matter. He could just be who he wanted to be. And with Albus' hand around his, Scorpius felt that there was nothing for him to worry about anyway.

"I love you," he whispered in Albus' ear as they headed up the stairs. The staircase shifted just as they stepped on it, so they waited, leaning against the railings, either for them to shift back, or for the proper path to become clear.

"I love you too," Albus said, not even whispering. Without a care in the world, he leaned over and gave Scorpius an obvious, passionate kiss on the lips. And Scorpius didn't care either. At that moment, all he knew was that he was in love with Albus Potter.


	61. Teasing

**Chapter 61: Teasing**

"So…" Andrew said as Albus tossed his shirt over the back of the chair next to his bed.

"So?" Albus echoed, looking over at him as he flopped into bed. It was just the two of them in the dormitory.

"So you and Malfoy," Andrew said.

"Yeah…" Albus said. "Yep."

"I figured," Andrew said. "Honestly, a lot of people figured. You two are inseparable."

"Yeah…" Albus said. "Speaking of this topic. Are you shagging my cousin?"

Andrew cleared his throat, looking away awkwardly.

"I'll take that as a yes," Albus said.

"I know we haven't been dating very long but… well it just sort of happened," Andrew said.

"I'm not judging, I'm just wondering," Albus said. "And I don't want you to hurt her."

"It'll be fine, Albus," Andrew promised.

"So did people really think that… Scorpius and I…did they think we were more than friends?" Albus wondered.

"Yeah," Andrew said. "I mean… some of us. I mean… people who knew you two better, at least. Or one of you. I sort of figured, back… well, when you told me you were gay."

"Oh," Albus said.

"Even though you denied that he was…" Andrew said. He shrugged. "But most people were more certain about you, and since you hung out with Scorpius so much…"

"Do I scream gay?" Albus wondered.

"No," Andrew said. "And that was part of the problem. You could've had any girl you wanted, Albus. Every girl was interested in you. And you didn't want any of them. It started to get a little suspicious. Not just for me, but for everyone else too… I dunno."

"Oh…" Albus said.

"But you know… some people are confused. They can't tell who the more masculine one in the relationship is…" Andrew said, looking away, sort of embarrassed.

"Well… there really isn't one. There doesn't have to be," Albus explained. "Not for us, at least. We're basically on the same level that way… I just… well if I'm being candid here, I'd say that I'm more dominant, but that's just because I'm stronger than he is."

Andrew cleared his throat. "Well I guess that makes sense."

"We don't have to talk about this, if it weirds you out," Albus said.

"No, it's fine," Andrew said. "Don't think I'm not okay with it, Albus. You're my best mate."

"Thanks, Andrew," Albus said, nodding at him.

"Yeah, sure," Andrew said. "You know I've got your back, Albus. We've been friends since we were eleven."

"I know," Albus said. "Still. It's good to hear, seeing as things can get a bit tense at times like these, certainly."

"Understandably so," Andrew said. "But honestly, no one would mess with either of you. Everyone knows you're too good at dueling for anyone to best you. And that even if they did, you both have a stockpile of friends to back you up. All intelligent, skilled seventh years, mostly."

"Yeah…" Albus said.

There was a knock on the door and it opened. Rose poked her head in. She was in her pajamas—a t-shirt from the Holyhead Harpies and a pair of plaid pajama pants.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was just getting ready for bed," Andrew said, holding up his toothbrush. He leaned in and kissed her on the nose. "I'll be right back."

Rose hopped up on Andrew's bed, sliding under the sheets.

"Settling in?" Albus questioned as he pulled his sheet and blanket up to his chin. He pulled a book off of his bedside table.

"Yeah," Rose said. "I just want to snuggle."

"Wow," Albus said. He might have been outwardly judging her, but in reality, he was wishing his boyfriend was a Gryffindor so they could sleep next to each other at night, just to cuddle.

"Hey, if you all don't mind, I think I'll be spending a lot of time here," Rose said, burying her nose in Andrew's pillow. Andrew came back out of the bathroom and slipped into bed with Rose. He put his arms around her, spooning her from the front. Albus rolled over to look away. He wasn't disgusted. He was just painfully jealous. He wanted to go find Scorpius.

-CD-

The Slytherin common room was slowly draining as the night wore on. Scorpius sat in front of the dying fire, reading happily. He was in a fairly good mood. Nothing had gone wrong, no one was acting weirdly. Everything was okay at this moment.

And to make things better, at that moment the wall opened up to allow someone in from the outside. But no one appeared. As Scorpius looked up, the air rippled and Albus pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, throwing it over his arm. He was clad in his pajamas, but he didn't seem to care.

"What are you doing here?" Scorpius wondered. Some of the other remaining Slytherins looked up from their late night work.

"I… I just wanted to come see you," Albus said.

Scorpius looked around and then walked toward the door. "Come on."

"Wh—it's after hours, Scorpius," Albus said. "We'll get in trouble."

"Are you or are you not the Head Boy?" Scorpius wondered.

"I guess I am," Albus said.

"You guess?" Scorpius prompted. "Come on. We're just going to the Room of Requirement."

"Okay," Albus said, taking his hand as they walked back out into the dungeon corridor.

Everything was quiet. Only about half the torches on the walls were lit. Albus pulled out his map to check the coast, to make sure they were clear to walk where they wanted.

"What made you come see me?" Scorpius wondered as they climbed the stairs of a secret passageway.

"Rose and Andrew," Albus said. "They were both sleeping in Andrew's bed and I was very jealous. Very jealous. I wanted to sleep with the person I love too."

"Sleep with?" Scorpius questioned.

"Oh stop," Albus said, blushing. "Sleep next to. Whatever."

"What, you don't want to sleep with me?" Scorpius teased.

"Stop," Albus implored, feeling his face grow redder and redder. Curse that Weasley blood.

Scorpius slipped his arm around Albus. "Sorry."

Albus kissed his cheek. "You know I love you, Scorp."

"I do," Scorpius agreed.

They entered the Room of Requirement, which looked the same as it always did for the two of them. The big bed sat in the middle and that was Albus' destination. Scorpius followed him, climbing up and under the sheets and blankets.

"I didn't bring pajamas," Scorpius said. He had changed into jeans and a t-shirt after dinner, but there was no way he was going to be comfortable sleeping in denim.

"I bet the room probably just provided you with some," Albus said, wrapping both of his arms around Scorpius.

"Wait, let me look," Scorpius said. Looking around the room, he found that, set neatly on the sofa, were a pair of pajama pants. He hopped up, despite Albus' protests. Scorpius had no qualms changing in front of Albus. He just stripped off his jeans and pulled on the pajama pants, casting his t-shirt to the side.

"Strip tease," Albus commented from the bed.

"Yeah. Because of course I would be putting my clothes back on if that was the case," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes and climbing back into bed. He let Albus wrap him up again and he buried his nose in Albus' neck.

"A guy can dream," Albus said.

"Is that what you dream about?" Scorpius wondered.

"You're teasing me a lot tonight," Albus accused.

"It's fun," Scorpius said, kissing Albus' shoulder. Albus wrapped him up tightly, pinning Scorpius against his own chest.

"I never want to fight with you again," Albus said.

"Seconded," Scorpius said.

"Do you think there's anything more we ought to talk about?" Albus wondered. "Just to… make sure that doesn't happen?"  
"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I mean… I think the main problems stemmed from me not wanting to tell people and… well we sort of got over that, didn't we?"

"I think so," Albus said. "Or at least it seems…"

He kissed Scorpius' neck for a moment.

"I can't really think of anything else… it just… it sort of saddens me that you thought I would cheat on you," Scorpius said.

"I know, I know. And I'm sorry I thought it," Albus said. "I was just… so upset."  
"The last person I slept with was Bex Overton," Scorpius said.

Albus ground his teeth together and muttered several expletives and something that sounded like "slag."

"And I don't intend to sleep with anyone but you," Scorpius said. "In the future, obviously."

"Obviously," Albus said.

"I don't want to rush things with us," Scorpius said. "You know what I mean? I'm desperately in love with you, Albus… I just worry."

"What? That I'll scare easily?" Albus smirked at him.

"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I don't know…"

"Look…" Albus said. "Stop me if I'm just assuming things but… I think I'm going to be… on top, right?"

"Well, yeah," Scorpius said, as if this was the most obvious thing he'd heard in a while.

"Just making sure," Albus said. "See… and I don't find that concept that worrisome. Nothing to make me scare easily."

"Really?" Scorpius said.

"I'm so desperately in love with you, it's very hard to keep my hands off of you," Albus informed him. "I might be a virgin, but when I'm around you, my mind is nothing but innocent."

"Oh really?" Scorpius said. "You? Not innocent. I never would've guessed. You're awfully tame, Albus Potter."

Rolling a growl in the back of his throat, Albus rolled so that he was on top of Scorpius, pinning the smaller boy against the mattress.

"Innocent my arse," Albus said, practically biting Scorpius' neck.

"You're so fucking hot," Scorpius complained, sliding his hands up Albus' back.

"I try," Albus said, pressing his entire body against Scorpius'. Scorpius dug his fingernails into Albus' skin in response to unexpected pressure farther… south. He let out a soft whimper.

"Oh Merlin…" Scorpius breathed. Albus fastened his lips to Scorpius', giving him a fierce kiss. Their tongues lashed together, sending erotic shivers through Scorpius' body. All Scorpius wanted was to rip Albus' clothes off then and there and get on with this. There was no sense in waiting for something that was so obviously right…

Maybe it was rushing. That was one way of looking at it. And Albus was a virgin after all—he probably didn't want to give everything away at the bat of an eyelash. But Scorpius felt to his very core that this, their relationship, was meaningful, that it was something that went beyond Hogwarts. It was real and he wanted to feel all he could, to breathe in every moment, to not let one slip by because they were worried about what might be.

"I want you so bad," Scorpius whispered when they came up for air.

"I want you more," Albus said. He looked down at Scorpius, green eyes attempting to assess the situation. Albus looked as torn as Scorpius felt.

"What are we doing?" Scorpius wondered.

"I don't know," Albus said, leaning back carefully so that he was kneeling, basically straddling Scorpius on the bed. "I feel like… if we let this keep going, I will go all the way. Half my brain is screaming at me to stop and take it slow. The other half—not to mention the rest of my body—is begging me to go on with this, to give me what I've craved my entire adolescence… But it's more than that. I love you. I love you so much and I just want to be with you, to know you… but I don't know if we can or should do this, so soon."

"It's dilemma," Scorpius said, knowing what he wanted, but not sure if he was supposed to want it.

End Part III


	62. Of Easter Eggs, Chess and Bex

**Part IV**

**Chapter 62: Of Easter Eggs, Chess and Bex**

One Month Later:

"Well… news travels through the family," Albus said, flopping down in the Great Hall one day during Easter holiday. Scorpius looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"Here's a fantastic Easter egg, courtesy of my grandmother, Molly Weasley," Albus said, sliding a box to Scorpius. "It was enclosed in a package with mine. She labeled it as 'for your boyfriend.' I kid you not."

"At least she's okay with it," Scorpius said, smiling at him and accepting his treat. "Wow. Does she do this for every grandchild?"

"And sometimes their best friends or significant others," Albus said, shrugging. The two of them hadn't slept together. Yet. It seemed like only a matter of time. But they kept it all very classy, in Albus' opinion. They kept contact minimal.

"Well it looks delicious," Scorpius said. "All chocolate is, of course."

Albus slipped his arm around Scorpius, pulling him in close. Scorpius sighed, his eyes drifting closed. He leaned into Albus's embrace, forgetting chocolate altogether.

"I love you," Scorpius said. He hadn't thought it would ever be possible, but there he was, in the middle of the Great Hall, snuggling up against his very own, wonderful boyfriend. The act was gone and it felt liberating. After a week of looking over his shoulder in a tense fear, Scorpius realized that the world was perhaps not as cruel as he thought it was. Not this world at least. The Wizarding World.

Maybe it wasn't even the fact that wizards just seemed to be more tolerant. That was part of it, sure. But not everyone was still gung-ho about this sort of thing. In the end, however, it really had always been an accepted fact in Hogwarts: Don't mess with Scorpius Malfoy and don't mess with Albus Potter (or really any of the Weasleys because they have about a thousand talented relatives to back them up, not to mention their own skill).

"I love you too," Albus said. "Of course."

"Of course," Scorpius said as Albus kissed the shell of his ear.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy," Albus said. In fact, Scorpius had noticed it too. Albus was even happier now that he could tell everyone all of his secrets. Scorpius had found that Albus was one of those people who simply gushed about everything in his life that made him happy. And that included Scorpius. He had absolutely no shame. And Scorpius was starting to really get used to it. It made him feel quite good about himself, and in truth, some of Albus' giddiness had started to rub off on him.

"I know I haven't," Scorpius said.

Albus kissed him on the cheek. "So."

"So what?" Scorpius wondered.

"I don't know," Albus said. "What should we do?"

"Well… we probably _should _be studying for NEWTs…" Scorpius said. "That doesn't mean we will. I'm just saying, don't use the word should. There is a lot we should be doing. But I don't want to do any of it."

Albus smiled at him. "Rebel."

"You know me," Scorpius said. "I'm a tattooed, bad-arse rebel."

"Obviously," Albus said.

"We could play chess," Scorpius said.

"Well yes." Albus smirked. "Doesn't get much more rebellious than chess."

"Oh shut it, you," Scorpius said. "What do you recommend?"

Once, Albus would have suggested that they just go off in a corner and snog somewhere. Yes, that was still appealing to both of them. But the relationship meant more than that now. They spent about as much time talking now as they spent snogging. The relationship was perfect, in the sense that it was also imperfect.

"We can play chess," Albus said. "I'll go get my board and my set, you go get your set."

"Okay," Scorpius said, sighing as Albus slid away from him.

"Be right back," Albus said.

Scorpius grabbed his things and headed out of the Great Hall, down toward the dungeons. He walked through the wall, into the murky common room. Several people were lounging about on different sofas, enjoying their time off for the holiday. The fifth and seventh years were bogged down with homework, getting ready for their exams in a couple of months. James had come to visit Maggie, so they were off somewhere in the castle "visiting." In all honesty, Scorpius would not be at all surprised if those two got married. Their relationship just had something about it, an air of finality and permanence.

It wasn't as if people in the wizarding world actually waited to get married. They got married young—they always had. It seemed to be a tradition.

Scorpius saw a future for himself and Albus, he honestly did. He knew he shouldn't seal his life away or count on anything. But it was so painful imagining his life without Albus that picturing the future with him was the only option. And Scorpius liked what he saw.

He had to wait for Albus in the Great Hall, seeing as it was a much longer walk to the Gryffindor common room than to the Slytherin one.

"Hey," a voice said behind him and someone dropped onto the bench next to him. Bex Overton (Albus' least favorite _slag) _sat there, looking up at Scorpius.

"Oh. Hi," Scorpius said, a little taken aback.

"So… You're gay," she said.

"Um… yes," Scorpius said.

"Yeah. Did you know about that when you slept with me?" she wondered.

"Well… er… I was sort of trying to… not be gay," Scorpius said. "If you know what I mean…. I thought… I could make myself straight."

She seemed to think about that for a moment. "You were really drunk that night, weren't you?"  
"Well, so were you," he pointed out.

"True," she said, laughing a little. "Well. I guess now I understand why you just… rejected me like that."

"Yeah?" he said. "Good. It wasn't anything against you. You're just not quite my type…"  
"I know," she said. "I think it has to do with my vagina."

"Pretty much," Scorpius said.

"Ready Scorp?" Albus appeared on the other side of the table, fixing Bex with a very guarded, yet, as Scorpius could see in his eyes, malicious look.

"I'm not trying to steal him," Bex informed Albus, rolling her eyes. Evidently, she had noticed how often Albus fixed her with a dagger stare since Christmas.

"I'm ready," Scorpius said.

"Thanks for talking with me," Bex said, getting up and walking away.

"What was that about?" Albus wondered.

"That was... her just… sort of realizing why I was sort of cruel toward her," Scorpius said.

"Huh," Albus said. "Maybe because she's a slag."

"Albus," Scorpius scolded, unable to keep himself from smirking.

"Look, she could be the nicest girl in the world, but I'm never going to change my mind," Albus said. He set up his beautiful, wooden chessboard.

"I know," Scorpius said, smiling at him.

-CD-

"Did you ever want to play Quidditch? I mean professionally?" Scorpius wondered.

The two of them sat in the middle of the Quidditch pitch. Albus had his broomstick across his lap. He polished the handle slowly, methodically. He looked up for a moment, to meet Scorpius' gaze.

"No," Albus said. "Not really… I mean… I love it. But ever since I was a little kid… I just wanted to be like my dad. D'you know what I mean?"

"I guess so," Scorpius said, smiling. Albus smiled back.

"Obviously, I'm very different from my father. But I have always wanted to be auror."

"I know what you mean," Scorpius said, smiling at him. "You're so… determined."

"At the beginning of this year, I was in a bit of a slump," Albus said. "So I don't know if determined is the right word for it."

"It is," Scorpius said, smoothing a polishing cloth down the handle of his own broomstick.

"Yeah," Albus said. "Well Quidditch has always been Lily's thing. I mean, we all played—you can't _not _play in a family like mine. But she has a gift that even my mum never had."

"I know," Scorpius said. "Watching her play is insane… she flies better than she walks."

"But you… why haven't you played before now?" Albus wondered. "You're good. You should have started a long time ago."

"It's not for me," Scorpius said. "I like it, but I don't enjoy the competition over it. And I think… a little bit of me didn't want to be my father. Seeker on the Slytherin team. I love my father, don't… don't get me wrong. I just… it's hard. When someone looks at you and all they can think about is Draco Malfoy. Once you're the Death Eater's son you don't get to shake that…"

"That's so untrue," Albus said. "People don't look at you that way. People don't even look at your father that way. My parents don't. My whole family doesn't look at him that way. And of anyone in this world, I think they're the ones who would. Now, I think, they see someone who was caught up in a crazy world and didn't know how to get out of it—he couldn't get out of it. He would be dead, his family would be dead. Your dad didn't have another choice, Scorpius. At least that's how I see it."

"Well I'm glad you see it that way," Scorpius said, looking down at his broomstick handle.

"Scorpius," Albus said. "Look… I see you for what you are. For who you are. Yeah, you are a Death Eater's son. But you're more than that. You are the most important person in the world to me." Albus reached out and took Scorpius' arm toward him. He laid a gentle kiss on the snake tattoo. "I love you, Scorpius Malfoy. That's what matters, isn't it?"

Scorpius set his broomstick to the side and moved closer to Albus, kissing him on the nose.

"I love you too," Scorpius said. "I don't think you even comprehend what you have done for me."

"I could say the same to you," Albus said, brushing his fingers across Scorpius' cheeks. He knocked Scorpius to the side so that they were both flopped in the perfect grass of the Quidditch pitch. "How are you not freezing? You don't even have a coat on…?"

Scorpius laughed. "You've given me a new found appreciation for the cold, Albus."

"Maybe I'll just have to warm you up, right?" Albus said, wrapping both arms around Scorpius.

"Mm, please," Scorpius said, kissing him.

"So… Do you think… what do you think life's going to be like, when we're out of Hogwarts? Assuming that we both get into the programs we want in the Ministry…?" Albus wondered, looking up at the sky. White cotton clouds skittered across the blue expanse, a beautiful early April day.

"Well…" Scorpius said. "I don't know. I think… once I start making money, which won't be right away… I'll try to move out of my parents' place. Just because I think there's a point where I'll need that…"  
"Yeah. Me too," Albus said. "I mean, James did it right away. He wanted to be gone. I think I'd like a flat in London. It's nice to be near the center of things, don't you think?"

"Agreed," Scorpius said.

"You know…" Albus said. "Just to make it cheaper… we'll have been going out six months at the end of the school year… You and I could get a flat together, maybe? I'm not saying right away. I'm saying when we both sort of get on our feet… I don't want to freak you out about it but…" He didn't look away from the sky. He didn't want to see Scorpius' reaction.

"No, I'd love it," Scorpius said, sitting up and looking down at Albus with a smile. "I think that would be amazing. Question. Can you cook?"

"Not well, no," Albus said.

"Me neither…" Scorpius said.

"Well it will be an experience, certainly," Albus said, kissing him on the cheek. "And you know what I'm saying here… I mean, we could get two bedrooms…"  
"Albus…" Scorpius said. "Stop thinking I'm going to run screaming in the other direction. We can have one bedroom don't you think?"

"Well if we're not sleeping together…" Albus said.

"Albus Potter, I promise you, if we're living together, you're not going to tempt me for that long," Scorpius said. "If we're going to be living together, I will not make it. I can barely handle myself now, mind you!"

Albus smirked. "Oh I know."

"Bloody tease," Scorpius growled.


	63. Studying

_**A/N: So it might see a little choppy and fast-paced for a bit here. Basically, at this point the story plows through to the end of the school year and then goes on. Once we get to like... July, it slows back down again and the story progresses. That being said... not sure how long this is going to be. If I had to predict, I would say at least 80 chapters. **_

**Chapter 63: Studying...**

The party in the Gryffindor Common Room roared. Someone had long since broken out the illicit, under-the-radar alcohol. Albus and Lily reveled in the spotlight, both wearing capes made out of scarlet and gold Gryffindor banners. A closer game of Quidditch had not been played at Hogwarts in quite some time. Only the snitch, plus ten extra points separated the Gryffindor team from the Slytherins in the final match of the year. And Albus had only been inches ahead of Scorpius when his fingers closed around the glimmering golden ball. It had been a battle—two of the best teams Hogwarts had seen, two of the best captains the school had had since the days all of their parents played.

Out of the corner of his eye, Albus caught sight of someone lurking in the shadows by the portrait hole, obviously trying to hide from the crowd. Albus tried to shift away from the crowd, make his way towards Scorpius.

"I promised I would come find you," Scorpius reminded Albus when they had stepped out into the hallway.

"Yes you did," Albus said. "I just wanted to tell you… that was amazing…"

"Well it is dismal in the Slytherin common room right now. Maggie is so drunk. I think she's trying to drown her sorrows or something."  
"Well, tell her it was a good game," Albus said. "We know how close it was, Scorp. Lily too. Tell her it was a really good game."

"I will," Scorpius said. "When she's sober, I think. She might hit me if I do it now."

"Probably a good choice," Albus said, smiling at him.

"Well we're in the home stretch," Scorpius said. "How does it feel to have just played the last Quidditch game you'll ever play at Hogwarts?"

"Oh Merlin, don't say it," Albus said. "I don't think I'm going to be ready…"

"Of course you will be," Scorpius said, rubbing his shoulder reassuringly. "Probably more ready than the most of us."

"I guess I am ready," Albus said. "But at the same time… what's it going to be like, the last night? Knowing it's the last time I'll sleep in the Gryffindor Tower? Or the last time I'll eat in the Great Hall?"

"Oh I know," Scorpius said. "We have a lot of lasts in front of us. But we also have to get through NEWTs. They're coming up."

"Far too quickly," Albus said. "Ah well. We'll get through them."

"Of course we will," Scorpius said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Look, I should probably get back to Maggie. Congratulations. Go enjoy your party and I'll go join the mourners."

"I will," Albus said. "I think I'm about to get really, really drunk."

"Enjoy yourself, Al," Scorpius said, giving him a smile and a wave before starting off down the corridor.

-CD-

Everywhere anyone looked in Hogwarts castle, people were studying. Sometimes they were in groups, piles of books, parchment, notebooks and quills spread out in front of them on the lawns or on tables in the library. Others were seen alone, noses inches from parchment or books. The buzz of the Gryffindor win in the Quidditch final had been erased by the gray cloud of exams for fifth and seventh years.

Scorpius had his chin resting on the edge of a table in the library, a Potions book propped up by magic in front of him. On the other side of the table, Albus was standing looking down at a book flat on the table, occasionally saying something randomly out loud. He had started standing because his left butt cheek had fallen asleep in the wooden chair. Maggie was sprawled on the floor, apparently not reading, though it was hard to tell through her hair, which concealed her book. One table over, Lily studied for OWLs while Lysander thumbed rapidly through a massive textbook. Not too far away, of course, Rose and Andrew both had their noses pressed to parchment. Once in a while, one of them would say a sentence and quickly look up at the other for confirmation.

The entire library was filled with pods of people doing the exact same thing. Every table was occupied by at least two people, and many others, like Maggie, had given up on chairs simply to spread their study materials on the floor. Every so often, Madam Vix would appear around the shelves and cringe in horror at the mass chaos in her library, but even she had the decency to not interrupt their studies to warm them that everything had to be put back in its proper place when they all went to bed.

Scorpius reached out and pushed his Potions book over, stretching his arms above his head.

"I'm going crazy," he said. Albus glanced at him, obviously wandering around his own head at the time.

"Venomous Tentacula," Albus declared, waving his quill with an air of finality. He finally really focused on Scorpius. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I think my brain is going to explode," Scorpius said. "There's only so much I can cram into it before stuff starts falling out again."

"That's why you focus on the important subjects," Albus said. "No one in the Auror Office is going to care if I can't do Arithmancy!" He said that with such excitement that Scorpius was certain he had completely lost it.

"We have two days before this all actually matters," Scorpius said. "Days of in class review and then hours of studying before us. Do you remember what it was like to have free time?"

Both of them took that moment to pause at the glorious distant memory.

"Maybe we should go study outside," Albus said. "It's a beautiful day…" He glanced wistfully toward the window.

"If we can keep the bloody first years from bothering us," Scorpius said, waving his wand to start packing everything up. "You coming Mags?"

"Nah," she said from beyond her veil of hair. "You two go ahead. The lake is too pretty. I'll be distracted."  
Even for the brief walk down the lake, it was nice to take just a moment to think about something other than every magical fact Scorpius had learned in his time at Hogwarts. He kept his hand firmly clasped in Albus' as they strolled down the lawn. They chose a spot under the tree by the lake, shooing away a couple of third years with exasperated looks.

Albus had charmed his bag with an Undetectable Extension Charm, simply in order to carry all of his books from place to place. Scorpius thought it was hilarious. Every time they would sit down to study, Albus would be up to his shoulder in his bag, pulling everything out.

"I don't think I can deal with much more of this," Scorpius said as he flipped his book open on the grass.

"I think you already said that," Albus said, laughing. "Come on. We can do this. Life gets easier after seventh year, they say. Even all the training and exams we have to go through later. It never all happens at once."

"Never thought I would get here," Scorpius commented thoughtfully, sucking on the end of his quill. He barked a quick laugh. "Never thought I would be studying for NEWTs. I'm eighteen-years-old. I'm in love." He smiled at Albus. "When did I grow up?"

-CD-

Their books abandoned under the tree, Scorpius and Albus set off hand in hand for a stroll around the lake. Evening was settling, a golden light streaking down from the sky.

"We've almost been together six months," Scorpius said.

"I know," Albus said, sliding an arm around him. "It feels like a lifetime. In a good way."

"I know what you mean," Scorpius said, leaning into Albus' side as they walked. It was a warm evening, but Scorpius liked the protective feeling of being close Albus.

"I love you so much," Albus said. "And I know things are going to get stressful in the next few months as we try to figure everything out for our futures but… You know I love you. And I know it will be okay."

"Hey, I can handle stress," Scorpius said, laughing because past evident said quite the opposite. "We'll be fine, Albus. You know I love you too."

"Of course," Albus said. "Come on, let's just relax a little bit." He gestured to a tree that was completely hidden from view. They settled at the base of the tree, leaning against each other.

"I'm kissing you," Scorpius said. "I haven't gotten my fix for the day."

Albus laughed as Scorpius positioned himself to allow Albus to lounge against the tree while they kissed.

"We've gotten very good at this," Albus commented, untucking Scorpius' shirt to get himself better access to the smooth, rock-hard muscles underneath.

"I know," Scorpius said trailing his lips and tongue—and teeth—up Albus' neck. Albus' eyes drifted closed as he pulled Scorpius toward him. Both of them had been so sexually frustrated of late. They had been trying so hard to keep it cool, to go slow and to not just act on impulse. They had morals to adhere to, of course. But it was encroaching upon impossible. They barely kissed for a moment before it became heated and passionate, before one or both of them went hard.

"Too good, I think," Albus murmured, nibbling with a gentle ferocity at Scorpius' ear. "I want you so much it's actually painful."

"I don't want you in pain," Scorpius whispered.

Albus yanked him closer so that Scorpius was practically sitting in his lap. Scorpius swallowed thickly at the feeling of Albus' cock pressing up against him.

"Wait, wait, Albus…" Scorpius mumbled, pulling his head away.

"What?" Albus wondered, sighing back against the tree. "Is something wrong?"

"I can't… I'm going crazy," Scorpius said. "We need to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" Albus asked, caressing Scorpius' cheek.

"This whole sex thing," Scorpius said. "I know we've talked about it before, and we've decided to put it off… but Merlin I'm starting to develop fantastic wrist muscles because of you."

Albus thought about that for a moment, a little bit of a smirk playing at his lips as he imagined it. Scorpius blushed.

"Well, I would be lying if I said the same wasn't happening for me," Albus said, lifting up Scorpius' left arm to examine the muscles.

"I know it's a big step, obviously," Scorpius said. "We've been through this conversation a thousand times…"

"Maybe we just start slow," Albus said.

"Start slow?" Scorpius said. "I'm sorry… what have we been doing if not starting slow?"

"Scorpius, we haven't been doing anything," Albus said. "And that, you fucking beautiful man, is the issue."

"Fucking beautiful?" Scorpius repeated.

"So fucking beautiful I practically cry because I can't fuck you," Albus elaborated.

"Oh dear," Scorpius said, letting out a light laugh.

"I mean… let's just… we don't have to go all the way yet, Scorp," Albus said. "There are other things we can do. We've been solely reliant upon contact with layers of fabric in between us. We have hands." Scorpius gulped. Albus raised an eyebrow and continued, "We have mouths." Bigger gulp. As the words passed through Albus' lips, Scorpius found his eyes glued to Albus' lips and tongue. He could feel more blood rushing to his own prick.

"Mouths?" he repeated, his voice practically a squeak.

"Want a demonstration?" Albus wondered.

"I know what you mean," Scorpius said.

"I didn't ask if you know what I meant," Albus said. "I asked if you wanted a demonstration."


	64. Everything is Different

**Chapter 64: Everything is Different**

Scorpius couldn't even speak. His cock was throbbing against his uniform slacks. Albus smiled at him, a soft, wonderful smile. He planted a soft kiss on Scorpius' lips.

"Stand up, Malfoy," he ordered.

"I'm not sure if I can…" Scorpius admitted, his heart fluttering.

"Never had a blowjob before, Malfoy? I thought you had more experience than that," Albus teased.

"Why are you calling me Malfoy?" Scorpius wondered. Of course he'd had a blowjob before. He just… he couldn't even comprehend the amount of bliss he was going to get from having Albus' lips instead of some skank's… He shuddered at the very thought, a shudder of ecstasy.

"Because it's hot," Albus explained, laughing. "I don't know. I'm nervous."

"What are you nervous for?" Scorpius wondered, finally getting himself into a standing position. He relaxed against the tree as Albus sat up and slid away from the base.

"I want you to enjoy yourself," Albus murmured, looking away from Scorpius' face.

"I don't think we're going to have any trouble with that…" Scorpius said. In fact, he was pretty sure he was going to come just thinking about it.

"I know… I'm just… I don't want to do something wrong," Albus said, reaching out thoughtfully. He undid the belt on Scorpius' slacks. Scorpius leaned down and kissed the top of Albus' head lovingly as Albus got on his knees on the grassy ground.

"It's a learning experience for both of us," Scorpius said. All he could think about was that Albus was going to see his cock at any moment. What if Scorpius didn't measure up to Albus' expectations? There had to be some expectations. Scorpius wanted to meet them in every way, but there were no guarantees… All he wanted was for Albus to be happy, for Scorpius to be able to please him.

Albus carefully slid Scorpius' trousers down, a determined expression mixed with the nerves on his face. Scorpius closed his eyes, relishing the carefully caress of Albus' hands against his thighs. Then, through the boxers, Albus took a gentle handhold on Scorpius' cock. Scorpius let out a whimper, feeling his knees threatening to buckle.

"Oh Merlin…" he moaned, just relishing the closer contact from someone else. He slid his fingers into Albus' raven locks. Every moment, his cock grew harder and harder.

"I love you," Albus said, reaching with his unoccupied hand to gentle pull Scorpius' boxers down. Scorpius held his breath for that moment, the pause of anticipation. He wanted approval. Glancing down, Scorpius swallowed. Albus was fixated for a moment, simply staring.

"What?" Scorpius questioned, his fingers still brushing gentle through Albus' hair.

"It's sort of odd… I have been dreaming about this for so long… but this is actually happening and I love you so fucking much." Scorpius gasped at the feeling of contact from Albus' wet, warm, beautiful tongue. It was perhaps the most exhilarating thing…

"Albus…" Scorpius whimpered.

"Shh…" Albus said, pulling back for just a moment to give Scorpius the most tantalizing, sexual smile Scorpius had ever seen… But he didn't see it for long, for at that moment, Albus engulfed Scorpius' entire cock in his mouth and Scorpius' eyelids drifted closed in pleasure.

"Oh…" he groaned, thankful for the tree to support him. Without it, he certainly would have fallen over.

Albus swirled his tongue carefully, every slight movement sending tremors of pleasure radiating through Scorpius' blood. Scorpius didn't know how Albus managed to do it without gagging, but he swallowed Scorpius' cock as deeply as he could.

"Oh… oh Albus," Scorpius said, finding it completely impossible to keep his hips still.

Scorpius had never experienced this before. Whatever his sexual actions may have been in the past, everything had changed. This was Albus—this mattered, this was what really interested him. Every moment of this, every expression on Albus' face, every action… it was real for Scorpius, for the first time ever. And for that reason, he assumed, he plummeted toward ecstasy at a faster rate than usual. Then again, time had ceased to exist for him. It could have been hours, it could have been minutes—years even, and he wouldn't have known.

"Albus…" he managed coherently, pushing back on Albus' shoulder.

Albus pulled back instantly. However, he replaced his mouth with his hand, pumping gently but furiously. "What…?"

"I'm gonna… I'm gonna come, Albus," Scorpius managed, head lolling back against the tree.

"Go ahead," Albus said. "Come on, Scorpius. Come for me… come on. Come on Scorpius…"

Attempted to muffle the shout of Albus' name, Scorpius spilled himself then, all over Albus' hand, Albus' shirt. Scorpius collapsed against the tree, clutching at the rough bark of the trunk.

"How did I do?" Albus wondered.

Scorpius' eyelids fluttered and he thought, through the veil he noticed Albus take a careful, curious lick at his own hand before digging for his wand to clean them both up.

"Wow," Scorpius said. Albus waved his wand, cleaning up the two of them. Scorpius hoisted his boxers and pants back up, buttoning them.

"Wow?" Albus questioned.

"That was amazing," Scorpius said. "Amazing…"

"So you know… you see what I mean," Albus said. "We can… do this… but we don't have to go all the way yet…"

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "Wow…"

Albus stood up, wrapping his arms around Scorpius and planting a kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," Scorpius said. "Remind me to repay you for that at some point…"

"I'm sure we'll be even at some point," Albus said, kissing him on the cheek too.

-CD-

"Where did you two disappear to?" Rose wondered when Albus flopped across from her and Andrew at dinner.

"We were outside," Albus said.

"I know you left, but I went to come find you, but only your stuff was under the tree," Rose said, complete with an accusatory eyebrow raise.

"We went for a walk," Albus said innocently, glancing over at the Slytherin table. Maggie and Scorpius seemed to be arguing about something, though both of them were smirking. Albus figured it was probably a similar conversation to the one he was having with Rose.

"You two really ought to study," Rose scolded.

"I don't need a lecture," Albus said. "We were talking a walk."

"I'm sure you were," she said, rolling her eyes.

Albus said nothing, but next to him, Lily gagged.

"Ew," she said. "Let's not hint around at stuff like that while I'm eating, how about? My big brothers are both wholesome, moral virgins."

"Well, I am a virgin, Lils," Albus assured her, smirking.

"Ew. Please shut up," she begged.

He grinned. Albus felt like he was walking on clouds. He never imagined how it would feel to belong to someone. It was as if his life had more purpose than it had ever had before. He knew why he was living. Maybe it wouldn't last forever, but at this point he couldn't afford to think like that. Nor did he want to. His entire soul was in this now. There was so much about Scorpius that brought life into Albus.

Albus glanced over at the Slytherin table again. He caught Scorpius looking at him, and they shared a smile.

"Oh Merlin," Lily said. "Look at the two of you. That's love if I've ever seen it. In fact, it's almost painful."

"Oh stop," Albus said, blushing.

"You know… I'm going to miss you, Albus," Lily said, patting him on the shoulder. "Hogwarts will feel a little empty without all of you. I knew I should've made friends my own age, honestly."

"I'm going to miss you too, Lils. It's just going to be so difficult going out into the real world and actually having to fend for myself and stuff."

"As if Mum and Dad would actually let you starve," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I know, I know," Albus said, squeezing her shoulders. "Besides, my famous Quidditch playing sister will look out for me a bit too."

"Of course I will," she said. "I'll remember who actually taught me how to fly."

-CD-

The Great Hall had taken on a completely different atmosphere. Rows and rows of desks accommodated the seventh year Charms students as they tried their hardest to remember all of the theory they had learned in the past seven years. Albus could see Scorpius, one row over, casually leaning back in his chair, writing carefully, but with what seemed t be limited interest. Albus was certain that everything Scorpius was writing was absolutely perfect and correct.

Albus wasn't having trouble with the exam. The only issue was the fact that it was long and he was bound to get tired. Other than that, he knew what he was doing. He had worked for this, he had done his time studying. When he sat down to take the test an hour ago, he was ready.

Rose was a row over, scribbling her way through the exam with a Granger-finesse. She managed to look psychotic, but also very much composed. If she moved her head any closer to the paper, her nose would turn black as it smeared her ink. But Rose had always been that way.

This was the first written exam. The practical was later in the day. This was the beginning of the end, too. Once they finished their tests, the last of which was the Defense Against the Dark Arts written exam, the seventh years were done. They had nothing more to do other than enjoy their last week at Hogwarts, pack for home and await the results of the house cup.

This year it was close. Based on the hourglasses in the hall, it was impossible to tell if Gryffindor or Slytherin was in the lead. The emeralds and rubies were neck and neck. Albus found that, as much as he wanted Gryffindor to win, he didn't care. Slytherin could win and he would be okay with it.

Albus dipped his quill in his ink pot, smiling to himself. He had so little time until he was done with Hogwarts and on his own. There was so much that he was planning to do and he couldn't wait for it. It made the prospect of leaving all of this behind so much less daunting. In fact, he decided, he was ready for this—more ready than he had ever been for pretty much anything in his life.

It was an odd feeling. He thought he would leave Hogwarts feeling nervous and unsure. But he was anything but. He knew where his life was going, or where he wanted it to go. Even if he didn't get into the Auror Program, he had backups. Everything was planned out. He never imagined he would have nothing to worry about—and even if he had nothing to worry about, he imagined he would find a reason to worry anyway. But there was none. He was only excited.

Part of the lack of motivation Albus had at the beginning of this year had to do with all of this, he decided. He wasn't motivated because he didn't really want to be there—not anymore. He just wanted to go out and confront the world. Seven years and he was tired. But he was ready.

He glanced up the row again. There was Scorpius, sucking thoughtfully on the end of his quill. Albus smiled to him. That, of all things, was unanticipated. He had never factored a relationship possibility into his post-Hogwarts plans. Now, however, it was a central feature.


	65. Back to King's Cross

_**Chapter 65: Back to King's Cross**_

The Great Hall was decked in silver and emerald. The palpable excitement of every Slytherin filled the air of the end of the year feast. Scorpius grinned with pride for his house. He was the Slytherin prince after all. He had to be proud. With a glance over at the Gryffindor table, he saw nothing but smiles on the faces of people who had become his friends, Lily, Rose, Andrew. And of course there was Albus, beaming like his own house had won.

The Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry would always be there, but Scorpius thought it was nice to know that hatred could vanish, if people wanted it to.

His whole body was shaking with an odd, excited anticipation. Tonight would be last evening he would spend in the Slytherin dormitory, in the four poster bed that had been his for the past seven years. Life was going on, he was growing up. It was all too thrilling for him.

Maggie sat, grinning, next to him. She couldn't wait to get out of here. She wanted to be able to spend every moment she could with James and not have school standing in her way. Their relationship was perfect in a completely imperfect sort of way.

The day before, Scorpius had been returning his last few library books to their rightful places on the Hogwarts shelves. He stumbled unintentionally upon a dramatic and emotional conversation in one of the stacks. Trying not to be seen, he overheard the entire conversation. Lily had been trying to break up with Lysander, sobbing about it, saying she wanted him to not feel tied down to her while he lived an adult life and she was stuck in school. He said she could break up with him if she wanted, but he loved her and he didn't want that. He wanted to be with her. Scorpius wasn't sure how they left things, but he noticed that, as the Ravenclaw headed toward his table, he lingered by the Gryffindors and kissed Lily on the temple. It seemed as if nothing had changed.

And then there was the last couple—Rose and Andrew. He sat with his arm around her waist at the table as she pointed at the cloudy, moonlit ceiling, probably spouting off some random fact that only she and her mother would know. Andrew seemed interested though—or at least interested simply because she was interested. They were in love too, Scorpius figured. Just like the rest of them. Scorpius found it amazing how many Hogwarts couples seemed to survive and last into the future. Wizards didn't mess around when they made their final choices.

Scorpius' eyes settled on Albus. The Head Boy was still standing, laughing and talking with younger students at his table, joking with his little sister, who seemed to be a little upset that it was Albus' last night at Hogwarts. Scorpius got the impression that Lily didn't care much for being left behind.

Seeming to sense Scorpius' eyes on him, Albus snapped his gaze toward the Slytherin table. He met Scorpius' eyes with a smirk. Pointing to the banners floating in the air, Albus mouthed the word, "Congratulations."

Scorpius smiled back, replying with, "I love you."

Albus just smiled at him—but the smile said everything. Scorpius knew what it meant. It was loving, it was claiming. It made him dizzy. Scorpius liked thinking he was Albus'—just as much as Albus was his. They were together and that was that.

The House Cup had been painfully close. In the end, ten points had boosted Slytherin into the lead over Gryffindor. It was practically a tie—and at the same time, it wasn't.

-CD-

The Hogwarts Express rattled down the tracks. Crammed into one compartment, Albus and Scorpius smushed toward the window, hands hooked between them. Across from them, Rose and Andrew cuddled, with Rose on his lap. Next to those two, Lily was asleep on Lysander's shoulder while he read the _Quibbler. _Maggie sat next to Scorpius, feeling utterly like the odd man out.

"James is going to be at the platform," Albus reminded her.

"Oh I know," she said, seeming to inform herself that James was there for her, not for his little brother and sister.

"I just can't believe it's over already," Rose said. "I mean the long parts seemed to drag out forever. But in the end, all of it whizzed by so fast…"

"I know," Albus said, watching the countryside fly past them out the window.

"I think we're ready though," Scorpius said, twisting his fingers more tightly around Albus'.

"Of course we are," Rose said. "I don't think a group of seventh years is more ready than we are."

"I agree," Andrew said.

When the train pulled into King's Cross Station, the usual air filled the Hogwarts Express. It was a mix of excitement for summer and sadness at the end of another school year. For the seventh years, a tinge of nervousness mixed into all of it.

On the platform, Albus and Scorpius looked around for their parents. Usually, Albus could find his parents because they tended to be around the big clump of redheaded people. But when he looked, he couldn't pick out his father's graying black hair amidst all of the Weasleys, toward whom Rose and Andrew headed. Lily and Lysander were sharing a passionate embrace close to the train.

"Do you see your parents?" Scorpius wondered.

"I'm looking…" Albus said. "Do you see yours?"

"They're usually… oh dear," Scorpius said. Albus followed his gaze, settling in on an area near a large brick column.

"Oh," Albus said. His parents stood with Scorpius' and the four of them seemed to be having a very intense—but apparently amiable—conversation.

Albus and Scorpius made their way through the crowd, weaving path around people until they finally reached their parents.

"Hi!" Albus' mum said brightly, giving him a hug. Scorpius' mother too, swept him into a hug. Albus hugged his father as well. The world seemed to brace for impact as Scorpius and his father exchanged their customary Malfoy handshake. Albus tried not to stare at what happened next. Draco Malfoy however, did give Scorpius a hug.

Albus shook Mr. Malfoy's hand and Mrs. Malfoy gave him a hug, while Scorpius underwent a similar exchange with Albus' parents.

"So what were you all talking about?" Scorpius wondered.

"We have had our differences in the past," his father explained. "But we have decided we can probably get over them, at least for your sakes, if not simply because the past is the past and it ought to be behind us."

"Well okay then," Albus said. "I would say that's a good thing. You're not really going to get us apart, anyway."

"Oh we know," his mother said, patting him on the shoulder.

"And anyway, I think you might want to be more concerned about Lily," Albus said, gesturing over toward the train. Lysander had picked Lily up as they kissed and she had her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Oh dear…" Ginny said, shielding her eyes with her hands. Astoria simply chuckled.

"She's… sixteen?" she offered. "This is the perfect time for all of that."

"She's not even sixteen," Albus said. "But Lysander's heard from me before so I'll leave it alone."

"James is around here somewhere," Albus' father said. "He'll probably take care of it."

"I doubt it," Scorpius said. "I believe he completely disappeared with Maggie within seconds of her feet hitting the platform."

"It's just wonderful how well-behaved our children are," Ginny complained.

"Well, we'll just say goodbye to some people and then I'll be ready to go," Scorpius told his parents.

They found Rose and Andrew and said goodbye to both of them. Albus greeted his many relatives and introduced them to Scorpius. Then Albus physically separated Lily and Lysander, much to the protests of the former. Maggie and James were discovered against a pillar, making out like they were told this was their last night on earth. Albus and Scorpius managed to separate them for a moment to say goodbye to Maggie, before the two refastened their lips together.

Despite having plans to meet up the next day, Albus and Scorpius felt they had to have their own little goodbye. It was a ceremonial end to their seventh year. About ten feet away from Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, who were still standing where Albus' parents had left them, Albus and Scorpius had their goodbye. Which mostly consisted of a lot of kissing.

"I will see you tomorrow," Albus promised, kissing Scorpius on the nose.

"Of course," Scorpius said, kissing him on the lips once. "It seems like a long time, doesn't it?"

"It does," Albus agreed, smiling at him. "I love you."

"I love you too," Scorpius said. "I'll be dreaming about you."

"Tell me about it," Albus said, shaking his head. "Bye Scorp."

"Bye, Al," Scorpius replied, breaking their embrace and heading toward his parents. Draco Malfoy wouldn't quite meet Albus' eyes as he looked over, but it didn't matter. Albus was certain that would come with time. If not today, sometime in the future.

-CD-

"You know," Scorpius' mother said as they walked into Malfoy Manor. "We might not be the best of friends with the Potters, but I really think they're good people."

"They are," Scorpius said. The house had taken on a different feeling since he was last here. Instead of frigid and still bright, it was simply bright. The sun shone through all of the high windows, but the stone walls kept the temperature comfortable.

"And Albus seems like such a nice young man, more and more every time we meet him," she continued, leading the way into the sitting room.

Scorpius and his parents took their respective armchairs.

"What are you thinking, Dad?" Scorpius wondered.

"I'm thinking that more and more, I'm becoming comfortable with this," Draco explained. "As long as you're happy, I am happy with this."

"Thanks, Dad," Scorpius said. "That means a lot to me, you can't even begin to imagine. Albus and I… we've sort of become a bit of a package deal all at once. I love him."

"We know you do, sweetheart," his mother said, smiling at him. "And you're a good couple, you really are. He is welcome here anytime, and the Potters told us that of course, you are always welcome at their house."

"I know," Albus said. "They're really good people, I promise."

"We believe you," Astoria said. "And I don't think we ever doubted they were good people. We just weren't friends with them."

"Friends?" Scorpius repeated, unsure whether his father could ever be friends with Harry Potter.

"Well, we'll get there," his mother assured him, brushing him off as if the idea had never actually been ludicrous in the first place.

"I believe you," Scorpius said. "You sort of have no choice but to go along with it, anyways. I'm not going to change my mind."

"You know, Scorpius, I'm not trying to be negative here, but Hogwarts relationships don't last forever," his father pointed out.

"Why condemn something because it's part of a trend? How about I just let it be what it will be?" Scorpius said. "Right now, I'm happy. And tomorrow, I'm positive I'll still be happy. Who cares how I will be a year from now? I can't wish my life away planning for the what ifs, you know."

His mum smiled at him. "I like that way of thinking. It's the right way of thinking, honestly."

"I thought so," Scorpius said, thinking of Albus with a smile. They really were in love, in the end. And Scorpius could feel the strands of permanence that were weaving around them.

"I think a lot has changed in this past year," his father said thoughtfully. "Nothing was really planned for."

"Yes it was, Dad," Scorpius said. "You just planned for the wrong things."

His father contemplated that for a moment. "That must be why this caught me—why this caught us—off guard."

"Probably," Scorpius agreed. "But it doesn't matter. We got over it."

Maybe it did matter. But Scorpius could see the apology in his dad's eyes. He knew that he regretted making it matter.


	66. The Future

**Chapter 66: The Future**

Albus contemplated the two letters in his hands. Of course they would come on the same day. Of course the world would plan things like this…

Scorpius sat across from him at the Potter's kitchen table, two letters of similar quality in his hands. He was chewing his lip. It would have been a very arousing gesture to Albus if he wasn't so nervous of what was before him.

N.E.W.T scores always came in the first week of July so that the recently finished students would know what their futures held. The scores were automatically sent to the places and programs the students had applied for. Thus, the acceptance or rejection letters came at nearly the same time as the scores.

"You go first," Scorpius prompted Albus.

"N.E. first I think?" Albus said, waving the one envelope in the air. "How about we do it at the same time?"

"Okay," Scorpius said. He set down his other letter and only held the N.E.W.T one. The two of them broke through the seals at the same time, opening the flaps and pulling out the neatly folded pieces of paper. Albus skimmed down his scores. E in Arithmancy, E in Herbology, E in Ancient Runes. O's in Potions, Defense, Transfiguration and Charms. He looked up at Scorpius.

"How did you do?" he prompted.

"E in Transfiguration, E in Herbology, E in Potions. O's in the rest," Scorpius said.

"You beat me in Arithmancy and Runes, I beat you in Transfiguration and Potions," Albus said.

"As is to be expected," Scorpius said. "Congrats though. These are good scores, either way. For N.E. at least… I anticipated an A or two, at least."

"Agreed," Albus said. "We worked hard for these though, so I'm not complaining."

"I'm sure Rose got all O's," Scorpius said. "But I honestly don't care. I got what I needed." He picked up the other letter. "I think."

"On the count of three?" Albus said, picking up his letter, sent from the Ministry of Magic. Scorpius' had the seal of Gringotts.

"Sure," Scorpius said.

When they reached three, they both popped open their envelopes and pulled out the letters inside. With a deep breath, Albus unfolded the parchment and began to read.

_Dear Mr. A. Potter,_

_ After careful consideration by members of the Auror Training Selection Committee and evaluation of your N.E.W.T scores, we are pleased to offer you a place in the Auror Training Program beginning in August of 2024. Through a careful and unbiased process, we have selected only three candidates this year. You should feel honored to be awarded this prestigious place._

_ However, that being said, it must be noted that you will undergo another exam in August to determine whether or not you can remain in the program. The Auror Department is highly specialized and the training program only accepts the most qualified wizards or witches after this August exam. Please note that this acceptance is more of an invitation to take the assessment in August. _

_ More information will follow by owl in the coming weeks. Congratulations again on your selection._

_ Gregory Martin, Head of the Auror Selection Committee_

_ Teddy Lupin, Junior Head of the Auror Selection Committee_

_ Natasha Royastevna, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

_ Harry Potter, Head of the Auror Office_

_ Leo Ramsey, Elimination of Bias*_

_*In your case, Mr. Ramsey was brought in and he and Ms. Royastevna decided your admission, due to a bias from Harry Potter and Teddy Lupin. _

"Well?" Scorpius prompted. His own letter was open in front of him. "Well?"

"I'm through to the next round," Albus said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"As if there was any doubt you weren't," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"And you?" Albus wondered. "What about you?"

"I'm in," Scorpius said, waving the letter through the air and finally breaking out into a perfect grin.

"Congrats!" Albus said, standing up and walking over to give Scorpius a hug. "This is going to be perfect."

Albus' father poked his head into the room. "So?"

"I'm through to the next round," Albus announced, tossing the letter at his father.

"I knew you would be," his dad said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you Albus. How did you do on your N.E. ?"

"Three E's and four O's," Albus said, showing him that letter too.

"And where did you get your brain? It certainly wasn't from me, at least," Harry said, laughing as he filled a glass with water. "Congratulations on both accounts, Albus. And Scorpius. Did you get the job?"

"I did," Scorpius said. "I start training in a couple of weeks."

"Wow…" Albus said. "A couple of weeks?"

"Yeah…" Scorpius said. "And then I'll figure out where they're going to send me…"  
"Send you?" Albus repeated as his father left the room again.

"Well… yeah," Scorpius said. "Egypt. South America?"

"Right…" Albus said. "I completely forgot that you would have to leave."

"Don't worry about it, Albus, I have a plan," Scorpius assured him, waving it off. "Have a little faith in me, wouldn't you? I'm not just going to trek off to South America and never come back."

"I didn't think you would," Albus said.

"You'll see," Scorpius assured him. "Besides. I kind of wanted to talk about that whole thing… Do you still want to get an apartment?"

"Of course I do," Albus said. "But I don't have that sort of money. I have to officially start training to get a baseline salary."

"I know, but as soon as I start training, I get a baseline salary too, and I'll start training in a week," Scorpius said.

"But then you would be pulling all of the weight and that's not right…" Albus said.

"Then you can pull a weird proportion later," Scorpius said. "Besides… my parents…well I have a vault completely in my own name, stuffed with gold. My father started filling it when he met my mother. Obviously, I didn't exist yet, but he was making plans in advance."

"Wow, he must have really loved your mother from the start," Albus said.

"He did," Scorpius said. "He knew it was right, though she sort of detested him at the beginning."

"That's funny," Albus said, shaking his head. "But Scorp, I honestly can't ask you to do that…"

"Albus, I'm going to get an apartment. Whether you join me in it or not is your choice," Scorpius said, laughing.

Albus shook his head. "Fine. Of course I'll join you."

"Of course you will," Scorpius said. "Well… I mean we can wait a little while still, if you'd like. I think my mum might like to have me at home a little while longer, but we can start looking for a place whenever you want."

"Okay," Albus said, giving him a smile. "Wow… I can't wait. Do you know what I mean?"

"I do," Scorpius said. "I think we can handle this."

"I do too," Albus said. "It's going to be a interesting experience, but I think we can do it."

Scorpius sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I feel old."

"We are old," Albus said. "I think I like it."

-CD-

James had a Muggle beer balanced on his stomach as he lounged on the sofa in his apartment. Albus sat on the floor, his own beer in his hand. It was a good time for some brother heart to heart. Both Potter boys were on the hunt for an apartment. The difference was that Albus and Scorpius would be happy with whatever they got, while Maggie was perhaps the most particular individual any of them had ever met. Not to mention that her parents wished to keep her home a little longer. They loved James ,but they didn't want to see Maggie rushing into anything.

"I'm pretty sure she's going to decorate the whole place… with what money, I don't know," James said. "She loves that sort of thing, though."

"Scorpius and I are literally just going to hang a picture on the wall and call it a day," Albus said. "Nothing will match in there. And then his mum will visit and she'll take over and makeover the whole bloody place."

"See, but she'd do it for free," James said. "Maggie'll use her own money, I'm sure."  
"So how are you two doing?" Albus wondered. "Good?"

"Yes, good," James said. "It's hard to spend a moment apart, honestly. She spends about half her nights here, much to the dismay of her parents."

"Sleeping with her?" Albus questioned.

"Well… yeah," James said. "But only recently…"

"I'm sure her parents will be fine with it eventually," Albus said. "They're probably just having a hard time processing that she's all grown up now, and all that."

"I know," James said. "I mean… I want to ask her to marry me, but I don't want her parents to freak out."

Albus practically choked on his beer. "Wait, what?"

"I want to ask her to marry me," James said. He got up and walked out of the living room, into his bedroom, leaving Albus waiting, dumbfounded, on the floor. After a moment, James returned, holding out a square, black box. He tossed it lightly to Albus, who flipped it open. Nestled in on a silken cushion inside was a beautiful, silvery engagement ring. It was simple, but the diamond was perfect, studded with two very small sapphires on either side.

"Wow," Albus said. "And how exactly did you pay for this?"

"I had to borrow a little money from Uncle Percy," James explained. "But I'm going to pay it back, of course. That's why I picked Uncle Percy. He has that way of making you feel guilty every time you look at him. It's perfect. That gives me incentive. Besides, he's sort of elected me as a protégée anyways, so I've suddenly become his favorite nephew. Never thought _that _would happen, but it did. But isn't it perfect?"

"I think so," Albus said. "Wow. I can't believe you're going to get married."

"It's not like it's tomorrow or anything," James said, snatching the ring back and stuffing it into his pocket. "First, I have to ask her, and Merlin knows how long that might take. I'd like to ask her father first—keep up traditions, you know…"

"She just got out of school," Albus pointed out.

"I know. That's why we're not going to get married tomorrow," James said. "I'm not trying to freak anyone out. You know the wizarding world tends to be a little more fast paced about these sorts of things anyway."

"Sometimes," Albus said. "And then sometimes not. It's not like Dad saved the Wizarding World and he and Mum got married the next week, James."

"Look, I'm thinking it will be a lengthy engagement," James said. "Give us both enough time to change our minds. But I'm not going to change my mind. I know this is right, Albus. I've been in my share of relationships, but this one just _works."_

"Well, then, you have to do it," Albus said. "I'm not going to stop you, if you know this is what you want. You know no one in our family will."

"I know," James said.

"Does she love you?" Albus said. "Does she want this?"

"She loves me," James said, with the most astounding confidence Albus had ever heard. "And she spends every other night in my arms, Albus. She's brought up marriage once or twice. I think she likes the idea."

Albus nodded. "Do it, then. Just watch out with her parents. You don't want to ruin that relationship."

"See, they love me," James said. "They really do. It's just… well I'll figure it out. Do Scorpius' parents like you?"

"Astoria does," Albus said. "Every time I'm at their house she hugs me and gives me a kiss on the cheek like I'm her own son. Mr. Malfoy… well he's a bit more cautious. I think he's still getting used to the idea. He and I get along fine though. And I think things will be okay."

"That's good," James said. "So he's not a prick?"

"No, not at all," Albus said. "I mean… he did some stupid stuff, but he's not a prick."

"See, that's good," James said. "Maggie's parents aren't pricks either."

"I didn't think they would be," Albus said.

"Look at this… you and I, ending up with Slytherins… Grandad's never going to forgive us."

"I know, I know," Albus said, laughing. "Aren't we supposed to focus on the Gryffindor thing? Everyone else seems to."

"We'll leave Rose for that," James said, waving his hand. "She and Andrew can live happily ever after. Us Potters, we're going to be the rebels."

"There's always Lily," Albus said. "If whatever she has going on with Lysander doesn't last forever…"

"I met up with him the other day," James said. "Him and Lorcan. But Lysander… he's head over heels in love with Lily."

"It's like Teddy and Vic getting married," Albus grumbled. "It's practically incest."

"As long as she's happy and a virgin, I'm dealing with it," James said. "And right now, she seems to be both."

"Seems," Albus repeated with a sigh.

"It will be fine. She can make her own choices. And based on what I was seeing from Lysander, he values her like his own life anyways. He wouldn't hurt her. Even if he did end up breaking up with her for some reason in the future, I think he would be very nice about it."

"And not start seeing Rose the next day?" Albus suggested.

"I don't think so," James said. "I mean… I know what Andrew did was wrong, but Lily is happier with Lysander and I think Rose and Andrew are really happy too."

"I think so too," Albus said. "It all sort of happened at once. I got with Scorpius, you with Maggie, Andrew and Rose… and then Lily and Lysander."

"Nothing's permanent, but if any of this is, I can see us all being pretty happy," James said, smiling.

"Me too…"


	67. The Beginning

_**A/N: I feel like an apology is owed on my part... not really sure what to say, but here's the end. There's just the epilogue left and it will have a lengthier explanation for my hiatus and the actual fate of this fanfic. **_

**Chapter 67: The Beginning**

"Hmm…" Albus said thoughtfully, looking out the window. It was raining. The view was slightly obstructed by the rain drops running down the window panes. Below, on the street, cars whooshed through the puddles. Pedestrians crossed the street here and there.

"What do you think?" Scorpius wondered, coming up behind him. Albus slid an arm around Scorpius' waist.

"I like it," Albus said. "What do you think?"

They turned back to the main part of the apartment, examining it.

"I like it too," Scorpius said. "One bedroom, one bathroom… but I can handle this. It's clean, it looks newer…"

"I like the floors," Albus said, looking down at the clean, aged wooden boards stretching across the space.

"I like them too," Scorpius said. "I like almost everything about this place."

"What don't you like?" Albus wondered.

"Nothing really," Scorpius said. "But I'm sure I'll find something to dislike about it."

"I know," Albus said. "But why don't we just move in first, before we discover all of the problems with it?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Scorpius said, smiling at him. He kissed Albus on the cheek. "We'll have to buy some stuff to furnish it… Though my parents said they would help with that."

"Mine too," Albus said. "My parents said they will get us a couch. They're getting one for James and Maggie too."

"So are we going to try and get the place?" Scorpius wondered. "I think we should."

"I think so too," Albus said. "It's a wizard building, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Scorpius said. "Come on, the woman told us to come find her in her office."

"I just… it amazes me that we're doing this," Albus said. "I'm really excited… I just can't believe it."

"I know," Scorpius said. "I think it's pretty fantastic." He slid both of his arms around Albus, pressing his nose into Albus' neck. Albus kissed the top of his head, wrapping his arms around Scorpius too.

"I love you," Albus said.

"I love you too," Scorpius replied.

"Now come on, let's go get this figured out," Albus said.

"Yes," Scorpius said. "Let's."

-CD-

Moving day for Albus and Scorpius was an odd experience and an odd crowd of people. For wizards, moving wasn't particularly difficult. The only difficultly arose from trying to get things into the building without attracting muggle attention. Despite being a wizard building, muggles did happen to live next door. And thus, the crowd of family and friends was necessary.

Of course, James and Lily and Albus' parents were there. Lily dragged Lysander along, and Maggie came too. Andrew and Rose showed up, and so did Teddy. In the midst of that Weasley chaos, one could find a pair of slightly overwhelmed Malfoys. Scorpius' mum and dad were a little cautious at first, but with the warm reception they received from absolutely everyone, they slipped right into the flow of the large, extended family.

Next week, Scorpius and Albus were going to go lend a hand to Maggie and James who had selected a flat a short walk's distance away.

"We have a couch," Albus declared happily as they lowered the couch into the middle of the living room floor. It wasn't by any means in the right spot, according to Scorpius' mother's space planning that she had laid out for him, but they would move it as soon as they had the rest of this figured out.

Albus bent over to dust a little bit of dirt from the fabric on the side of the couch. Scorpius sighed. He was having a hard time restraining himself today. Albus looked absolutely, painfully attractive. He hadn't done anything different, just jeans and a t-shirt. But his hair had gotten longer and it stood up in an attractive chaos on the top of his head… And Scorpius had seen him using his muscles a lot… It was driving him crazy.

When he stood up, Scorpius leaned in to whisper in Albus' ear, "You're hot." Albus just blushed, of course.

"Stop," he whispered, smiling at Scorpius. "Come on, we have some more work to do." Albus headed into the bedroom with Scorpius on his heels. Sitting in the middle of the bedroom floor, Maggie attempted to assemble the bed frame by magic.

"How's it coming Mags?" Scorpius wondered.

"Not so bad," she said. "You know, mostly pretty quick wand waving. It should be done shortly. Why don't you boys go get the mattress?"

"Will do," Scorpius said, grabbing Albus' hand and towing him back out of the room. They ran down the stairs, passing James who was lazily levitating a lamp and a box of Albus' books. Albus and Scorpius covertly pulled the mattress out of the apparently normal-sized car it had come in. Albus waved his wand to make it a little lighter and much more manageable, and the two of them started up the stairs with it.

When they got back up to their new apartment, Maggie had successfully assembled the bed itself. Albus and Scorpius settled the box spring and mattress into it, standing back to admire their handiwork. As they were repositioning the bed against a different wall, Draco Malfoy entered the bedroom, casually levitating a set of dressers.

Draco froze for a second. His eyes seemed zeroed in on the fact that there was only one bed in the room. Even though he and Astoria had graciously purchased the bed and mattress for them, it only seemed to just be hitting Draco that he had no just purchased the bed for Scorpius, but also for Albus.

"Hey… Dad?" Scorpius said. He waved his hand in the air to break his father's concentration.

"I'm sorry… it just sort of dawned on me…" Draco muttered.

"That I'm moving in with Albus and we're not sleeping in separate rooms?" Scorpius said.

"Didn't you realize it, Draco?" Astoria wondered. "Usually, when two romantically involved people move in together, they don't sleep in separate beds, dear. Usually they're sleeping together. Already. Together." She put heavy emphasis on the word to make its meaning clear.

"Actually, Mrs. Malfoy," Albus interjected, "I'm a virgin."

With those words, Albus whisked past both of the Malfoy parents, leaving Scorpius alone with his mother and father.

"Dad…" Scorpius said. "I'm eighteen, I'm in love. I've got a job. I'm going places. If sharing a bed with my boyfriend is the worst offense, I think you've got it pretty good."

Scorpius' father cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. It just caught me off guard. Obviously, you're old enough to make your own choices."

Scorpius looked at him, smirking for a moment. "The idea of gay sex really freaks you out." He walked out of the room then too, laughing to himself. It didn't even matter to him anymore. He knew his father would get over it and be fine in the end.

Albus was shoving their limited number of pots and pans into various cupboards in the kitchen when Scorpius came out. Most of the stuff was in the apartment and now it was simply a matter of organizing all of it. Scorpius had a feeling that this living situation was, at least for a little while, going to be quite like two guys living together. Scorpius and Albus were both okay with guy mess. Particularly unorganized cupboards.

"So what's the system to your organization?" Scorpius teased, wrapping his arms around Albus.

"If it fits, it goes there," Albus explained, turning around so that they were front to front. He brushed his nose against Scorpius, leaning in to kiss him.

"Sorry… we are clearly quite late," a voice said. Albus turned away from Scorpius. Max and Albert entered at that moment, Albert holding a bottle of mead, which he offered to Scorpius and Albus.

"A housewarming present," he explained.

"Well thanks," Albus said, setting it on the counter. "I know what we're doing tonight. Cereal and nice, rich mead."

"Sounds fancy," Max said. "Someone probably ought to teach one of you how to cook."

"Probably ought to," Scorpius said. "Eh, we'll figure it out, right Al?"

"Most likely," Albus said. "It can't be that difficult."  
"The four of us need to get together to have dinner," Albert declared. "I think that would be a good idea."

"I agree," Scorpius said. "Now that we're all through whatever stress I think we can encounter in our friendships, I think dinner would probably be a good plan."

"You know," Albert said to Max. "I don't understand this… These young kids who have been dating for seven months have moved in together. You and I have been together a year…"

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" Max wondered.

"Well… you sort of have a better apartment," Albert said.

"So you're… asking me if you can move in with me?" Max questioned.

"Basically, yes," Albert said.

"Well yeah," Max said. "Of course you can."

Albert leaned in and kissed him on the nose, laughing a little.

"What do you guys need help with then?" Max wondered, hooking his fingers into Albert's.

"Well I was just putting pots and pans in the cupboard," Albus said. "And then I was going to go and make the bed… You guys could probably… well Scorpius' mum has an artistic vision. You should just listen to her."

"Will do," Max said, laughing.

Mrs. Malfoy did take over with a vengeance. Leaving the main room to be dictated, Albus and Scorpius headed into their bedroom to straighten everything up in there. While Albus made the bed, Scorpius hung the curtains. In some ways, pieces of their teenage lives had flooded into their room again. Albus had a Gryffindor pennant stretched out above his dresser and Scorpius had an Slytherin flag hanging above his. They had to keep their little touches.

The walls of the flat's bedroom were painted a soft gray color. The color pallet selected by Albus and Scorpius was black with some gray. It seemed dismal, at first, when they were assessing all of their purchases. But after some thought, it didn't seem so bad. To Albus, it had actually become soothing.

"Jet black comforter," he commented, causing Scorpius to turn around. "I think this was the right choice."

"I agree," Scorpius said. "Makes me feel like I'm back in the dungeons."

"I think it looks nice," Albus said. "Your curtains a little bit too far to the left of the window."

"Thank you," Scorpius said, adjusting accordingly.

"They look good now," Albus approved.

"So does the bed," Scorpius said as Albus carefully fixed part of the comforter.

"Yeah that's going to last all of twenty-four hours," Albus said, standing back with a hand on his hip. Scorpius laughed, walking over to him. He slid his arms around Albus and kissed his neck for a second.

"I love you," Scorpius said. "And I'm so happy we're doing this."

"I am too," Albus said. "And of course, I love you too."

"I know," Scorpius said. He pecked Albus on the lips.

"Hey, boys," Maggie's voice cut through their moment. "If we're all doing this labor to help you, you might as well not just stand around there kissing, how about?"

"Fine, fine," Scorpius said, sighing and letting go of Albus.

-CD-

The door finally closed behind the slew of relatives and friends, leaving Albus and Scorpius alone in _their _apartment at last.

"Wow," Scorpius said, falling backwards on the couch.

"I know, I'm exhausted," Albus said, dropping down next to him. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius and nuzzled his nose into Scorpius' neck.

"I'm really happy though. And really, really excited," Scorpius said, wrapping his arms around Albus too.

"I am too," Albus said. "What do you want for dinner? I'm starving."

"I have no idea," Scorpius said. "Let's see… what can we come up with, do you think?"

"Hmm…" Albus said. "Not sure… I feel like figuring it out involves getting up and going to the kitchen and I honestly don't want to get up. I'm tired. And now I'm comfortable."

"And we've got so many years in front of us. We can be lazy now, I suppose." Scorpius laughed, pulling Albus closer and kissing him with crazy passion.


	68. Epilogue

_**A/N: And so the long awaited end. I posted as soon as I finished writing it, so no beta. I apologize for any typos that result. See the end for a real author's note. **_

**Epilogue: 3 ½ Years Later**

Life goes on. Albus didn't know what else there was to it, other than that. The love between him and Scorpius grew thicker each passing moment until it ended up like steal, rendering them inseparable as they climbed up in the ranks of their various offices. Albus was an auror, Scorpius a curse breaker. They lived together in their perfect London flat, making each other crazy and rendering each other powerless at every chance.

On Scorpius' twenty-second birthday, the flat was filled with all of their accumulated friends and family. Albert and Max were there, long since married and living out in a town closer to the Burrow than to London. Rose and Andrew were married with twins on the way, while Maggie and James had gotten married about a year after they finished Hogwarts and they had already managed to have two children, a boy named Michael and a girl, Lizzie. Lily and Lysander had succeeded in getting together and breaking up about fourteen times before she finished Hogwarts, but they were married in the summer as soon as she was finished with school. They had a six month old daughter named Assia. Everyone was getting their happily ever after moment.

They were preparing the flat for Christmas already. The only missing piece was the tree. They had decorations other than that, mistletoe and candles and everything Christmasy, including a wreath on the apartment door. Scorpius wouldn't have it any other way, Albus found. Scorpius loved Christmas and liked to prepare for it well in advance of necessary.

In their time living in the apartment, Albus had become a fantastic cook. They had started out fairly inept homemakers, typical of people whose mothers had done a lot for them in their youth. But a little magic could go a long way, they found, in cooking and cleaning. Albus tended to be the chef, while Scorpius consulted a few books to force himself into the world of cleaning. At first, Scorpius absolutely loathed it, but he had become used to it to the point where he actually enjoyed magical dusting or doing their laundry.

Albus had a spread of some delicious food in front of him, all prepared by him—which impressed his mother and other family members to no end, still. He just wanted to give Scorpius a good birthday. The last couple of years, they had been so busy at work, and finally life was calming down enough that they could afford to just take an evening to really celebrate with each other and all of their millions of family and friends.

Draco and Astoria were there, lingering and talking with Albus' parents. They had both become so much more… okay… with everything between Scorpius and Albus. They saw how in love the two young men were, and how happy, and they couldn't possibly dislike any of it. They only wished the best for their son, whom they both loved very much.

"Hey," Scorpius said, coming up to Albus where he was standing in the kitchen. "This is a great party, Al. Thanks. It's been a great birthday. Thanks to you."

"Of course," Albus said. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"I really am," Scorpius said, taking both of Albus' hands in his. "You're brilliant, Albus." He leaned in against Albus' chest, wrapping his arms around Albus' neck. As he did, Albus caught sight of the familiar snake tattoo. It sent shivers up his spine. As usual. Scorpius never got rid of that black leather cord tied around his wrist and every time Albus looked at him, he saw him as a little more bad arse.

"Oh look…" Albus said, conveniently pulling Scorpius under the mistletoe. "Would you look at that."

"You hung that up in all of the most convenient places," Scorpius said, teasing him.

"Mistletoe has nargles in it," Lysander contributed from where he was pouring Lily and himself a couple of drinks.

"Excuse me?" Scorpius questioned, turning to look at Lysander with an expression of utter bewilderment on his face.

"Something my mum always says," Lysander said, shrugging.

"I think we'll take our chances with the nargles," Albus said, kissing Scorpius quickly on the lips.

"I don't know…" Lysander said.

"Shut up," Scorpius said, seizing Albus by the face and kissing him with all the passion in the world. Albus fell into the kiss, weak in the knees. His body arched provocatively and inappropriately toward Scorpius, but he realized he didn't care. He loved Scorpius more than anything and he was going to kiss him however he wanted—especially on Scorpius' birthday.

"I love you more than anything in the world," Albus informed him when they finally broke apart. He was so absorbed he had no idea if the party guests were covertly averting their eyes in courtesy or not. And he didn't even care.

"That makes my day every time you say it. Did you know that?" Scorpius wondered. "Best birthday ever. And I don't even know why."

"You say that every year," Albus said.

"Maybe because, every year, things may not be perfect, but I always get happier," Scorpius said. "And maybe, after a few more years, I will get so happy that things will be perfect." Some days, Scorpius would lie in bed in an odd state of misery. Albus would, if he could, lie there with him. He would try to make things better, but sometimes he couldn't, and lying there seemed to help, at least a little. Even if all it did was give Scorpius someone to cuddle up against. But these days were few and far between, and Scorpius' way of dealing with the old demons that sometimes built up and pressurized inside of him.

"I want you to be permanently happy," Albus said.

"Well, I must say, you've come very, very close," Scorpius said, giving him a very tight hug. "Now come on, let's go mingle. We have all night after the guests leave to risk the nargles as much as we want."

"But there's no mistletoe above the bed," Albus murmured, teasing.

Scorpius chuckled. "We might be able to fix that, at any rate."

"You two are being sexual over there, aren't you?" Maggie determined, walking over to them. She shook her head and leaned in to the two of them. "I want to tell you something."

"What do you want to tell us?" Scorpius whispered back. "How drunk you are?"

"I'm not drunk," Maggie said, appalled. "I haven't had one sip of alcohol all night." She leaned in a bit closer. "But I am pregnant again."

"Oh dear Merlin, you two are like rabbits," Albus said. "You come over here and accuse us of being sexual… but every time you have another kid, I am forced to think of you and my brother shagging."

"Lily and Lysander sleep together too," Maggie said indignantly.

"Whatever," Scorpius said, shuddering. "It even pains me to think of Lily shagging someone."

"Let's stop talking about it," Albus said. "I don't care if we're all getting old, I would like to think of my baby sister as pure. Assia was some miracle of sorts, I think."

"You keep telling yourself that, Al," Maggie said, patting him on the shoulder and scurrying off towards James.

"You know, maybe we should adopt," Scorpius said to Albus. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Albus wondered. "I think I would love too, actually."

_**The End**_

_**So I am sorry that the end of this fic was stunted and rarely updated. That's not my style. However, my life has gotten much, much busier than it was when I set that precedent and I can no longer keep up with it. Not to mention I wrote a novel in there somewhere, which exhausted my writing creativity. I hope I didn't lose any supporters and I hope you still enjoy the fic. I'd say maybe expect something more from me around mid-March, but until then, my life is a bit of a whirlwind. Happy New Year (a little late) to everyone, and thank you for reading. Also, major thanks to my awesome beta who is going to bitch me out for not sending this to her first. Thanks for your readership, CAPPY**_


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